The Real Enemy
by Rennwolf
Summary: Keith is captured. It is unlikely anyone will come to his rescue and he is stuck in a cell. He must find the way out before it's too late. But wouldn't that be so much easier with a little help? Summary is vague to ensure the fullest enjoyment of the first chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It wasn't supposed to happen like this okay. It was just supposed to be a quick mission in and out and then get back to the Blade of Marmora for a debriefing. How did it get like this?

Keith's mind was racing as he peered around his small cell. Nothing too fancy, though the ship itself was pretty damn high tech. It didn't matter though. What mattered was getting out of this damn prison.

Stupid Galra.

It was a simple mission too! Ugg… He still couldn't believe he fucked up on such a simple thing- Get in, don't raise suspicion and don't get caught, just get in and grab the weapon that was giving off abnormal amounts of quintessence.

But then that _guy_ showed up, frantically running from at least five sentries shooting at him nonstop. The guy had a clear shield and blue armor on, but he didn't seem to have any weapons to fire back. Not only that but he was also shouting _very_ loudly, drawing the attention of every other sentry in the vicinity.

Needless to say it caused a bit of chaos.

So Keith decided to follow the rapidly growing group.

"Pidge! PIDGE WHERE THE HELL DO I GO! Pidge!" The man screamed at someone that no one else could see. "I don't need your SASS right now! Just give me directions! AH!" A well-aimed shot hit the shield violently and he was pushed forwards at a speed faster than the sprint that he was moving. He stumbled to the floor, hitting it with an "Oomph." And the sentries were on him in a moment.

What compelled him to do it, he didn't know, but what happened cannot be changed, no matter how much he regrets it.

Keith charged in. The sentries were hauling the man to his feet when they finally saw him. At first they must have thought he was just a higher officer of the Galran army, he did blend in quite well with that title after all, but the sentries were soon convinced otherwise. Keith brought his blade in a wide slash across the first two sentries. The blade of Marmora throbbed a dim purple in satisfaction, a portrayal of his actual feelings getting lost in the fight.

The sentries were on him in seconds but the six of them left weren't hardly enough to be able to stop him. They were turned into shattered pieces of armor in an instant.

He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the man that had caused the sirens that were blaring overhead and turned this simple mission into a much more complicated matter.

But the man wasn't even there. The sound of retreating footsteps could be heard to the left down a dark Galran hallway. It could be anyone else, but it was the only clue Keith could follow. It was on the way to the weapon anyways… well, only a _slight_ bit out of the way, but it would loop around to the room he needed to be in. Why not go ahead and follow him? He knew this ship like the back of his hand after doing so many missions that required such knowledge. Getting lost was no problem.

He found that was not the case with the fugitive. He finally caught up to the man, who was standing before a fork in the hall and complaining loudly to the nonexistent 'Pidge' again.

"Pidge! That is so _rude._ It's not my fault that it got stolen…" There is a moment of silence as he listens to a response only he can hear. "Hey! How was I supposed to know that Nyma would do something so terrible! PIDGE! I'm not doing this right now! Just tell me right or left!" His voice was deep and annoyed. Keith waited. He knew that he would have to go to the right pathway now, whether or not the stranger went that way. Luckily for him the stranger did go to the right.

However, Keith was beginning to realize that might not be such a good thing after all, because there was only one thing to the right and if this guy was after the same thing as him… Well, you get it.

Keith could hear the sentries coming three halls down, the man didn't seem to notice. He must have been some species with poor hearing. There were quite a few with his physical traits. Skin rather than fur or scales. Circular eyes with three different colors and dark skin. What Keith assumed were his eyes were small and rounded-

Focus on the mission.

The complaining man stepped into the room that held the tell-tale weapon. There was no way to doubt it now. This man had the same objective in mind as himself. Keith should have just left him to the sentries. It would have saved him two fights.

The room wasn't too large. The size of a banquet room, but it was mostly filled with storage and junk. Some of the things had thick layers of dust, others only wore lighter dust jackets, but one thing at the end of the room was perfectly clear of any such dirt.

It was about the size of his hand, maybe a hand and a half, and it had a horizontal handle between two curved side pieces. The colors matched the man's armor and style and Keith realized that the man had mentioned earlier that something had been stolen from him. This must be it.

At this point it was up to Keith to make a quick decision. He could either stick to the original plan and steal the weapon or he could question the man about the weapon, which was obviously his. The man would be the fastest way to answers, but there were too many variables to assure that he would get everything he needed from him before the Galran, who were two hallways down trying to get through the gate he locked behind him, arrived and caused trouble. This option would be considered dangerous and impulsive. It would be a huge risk.

So Keith choose to do just that.

Keith had never been very great with words but he needed to be persuasive. He took a breath and steeled himself to quickly explain enough to get his point across and have time to question the man in detail.

"Hey!" He called out to him and stepped out of his cover. The man rapidly turned around from where he was about to grab the weapon and raised his shield protectively. Keith may have picked up an unmanly squeal behind the sounds of the Galran reaching the last gate he had shut down.

"Get back! Stay away filthy Galran!" He shouted at Keith with a burning venom lacing his tone as he lunged for the weapon.

"Wait! I'm not with Zarkon's army- Shit!" Keith leapt out of the way as a blue shot whizzed past his face, disturbing the hair that rested on his forehead. The weapon the man had grabbed had transformed into a large gun that he wasted no time firing at Keith. Making a mental note of the weapon's capabilities he began to weave his way up through the aisles of the room to get to a good vantage point.

The man was doing the same.

They stalked through the room like hunter and prey, yet neither knew who was what. It was only moments later that the Galran soldiers broke through the door. There were real Galrans at the door this time. Competent warriors most likely. They would prove to be more trouble than a few dozen sentries, which was about all Keith was prepared for.

Shots were fired loudly from a startlingly close isle and Keith took that opportunity as a distraction. He leapt atop the shelving and snuck to the end of the towering unit. With the others distracted he could leave without being noticed or suspected and he can keep up the recon missions in this ship without needed to change stories.

"Let me- Let GO OF-" The man's shout was cut short and the room became startlingly quiet. It was the deafening kind of quiet that whispered bad ideas into people's ears. With Keith's amazing hearing it might as well have been shouting ill advices to him.

He only took a single moment of consideration before he turned back and leapt one unit over to peer down to the group of soldiers from above. It seemed the man was recovering from a blow to the head by the butt of one of the many guns still aimed at him. He wasn't unconscious, but he probably wished he was. There was a thick trail of blood running down from his forehead into his eyes.

Two sentries were holding him up by his arms on either side of him. His eyes were rolling back into his skull.

"Take him to the druids," said one of the only two real Galrans in the room. Keith choose that moment to jump down and begin the fight. It was a rough teeth and nail fight, but Keith managed to wipe out the two Galrans and a couple sentries. He remembered almost none of the fight as pure instinct had taken over him and guided him thoughtlessly.

The man somehow found the strength to take out the other sentries with a few well aimed shots. It was right as Keith was slashing the last sentry that he thought he could hear a small voice. It was almost impossible to hear, but he thought he picked up a few words as he looked at the man who sat on the floor.

"Lance… Stay… Shiro's coming…" and that was all that he picked up before he noticed the sound of steps right behind him, an approaching sound he had missed as he had been focusing his attentions on the quiet voice. He didn't have time to turn around. Only time to see the barely conscious man's eyes widen and a halfhearted cry from him, "No, Shiro wait!" Before he lost all consciousness.

…

He didn't know when exactly it was that he woke up again, but when he did it was only for a moment. The few details he gathered were foggy and unreliable, but it was almost as if he was standing before a crowd of people behind a glass display as they gazed upon him. He must have only woken for half a minute because he remembers nothing else happening other than the darkness of sleep washing over him once again.

…

It was the second time he woke up that he found himself in his cell, the same cell he has been in for countless hours. He has still yet to see anyone in the time he has woken. Not a single person has passed by the thick glass of the window on the heavily barred door. His blade was gone. His armor was gone. He was left in the skin tight under suit of his armor which, needless to stay, was a bit uncomfortable to be in for so long.

His communicator was gone as well, so there was no way of telling Kolivan that he had yet to be killed by Zarkon he that he needed rescuing, not a funeral. Keith knew the risks of the Blade, he knew that if you were captured by the Galra there most likely would not be a rescue mission. It just wasn't ideal. But this wasn't Zarkon's army, at least, he didn't think it was.

He sighed for the billionth time that night and resigned himself to a while of waiting. He was currently sitting on what one might consider the bed of the cell. If you could call an uncomfortable nook in the wall right across from the window where everyone on the ship could see him sleeping a bed. (You can) In the only corner not visible from the window there was a make-shift toilet which was actually quite clean.

The only other item in the room was a faded red blanket, which was wrapped around Keith's shoulders, keeping him warm in the cold and solitary room.

And that was how he sat waiting for hours more. Cold and alone, until a familiar dark skinned man peeked his head into the cell's window.

 **...**

 **Well, well, well. Look who's writing again, this gurl! Updates will come around once a week to once every other week. :)**

 **Hmu writterwithin** **on** **Tumblr if you want to talk about the story or anything else!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two more faces joined the first, but these faces were unfamiliar. One of them was a very large dark skinned man with black hair tied back by an orange headband. The other was a very sort slight boy with messy caramel colored hair and large thin-framed glasses covering half of their face.

So it wasn't a Galran force that had taken him, but he had already assumed as much from the interior of the ship. However, he still didn't know the name or cause of the force that had taken him, only that he felt slightly betrayed by the fact that he had protected this man only to be captured by him and thrown into a cell to rot.

All three of them were whispering amongst themselves and despite his hearing Keith could not decipher their words. The room must have been heavily sound proofed.

The big man would say a word or two and then look at Keith as if he were afraid, even though there was no way for him to get out. The little one was watching him with a calculating gaze that he felt uneasy under.

And then there was the familiar man. Now that he was closer and not moving Keith could see the color of his eyes. They were blue. A color he could appreciate since, where he came from, most of the people's eyes were fully yellow. The man's darker skin tone made his eyes seem brighter than they really were. But that wasn't what Keith was noticing. Keith was noticing the emotions that were swimming in his eyes and taking over his facial features.

The man seemed to be conflicted. He had a slight frown on his face as he looked into the cell and Keith had a feeling that that was not an emotion that was common to him. He bit his lip as he thought about something and furrowed his eyebrows before taking a breath and responding to something one of the others had said.

Keith glared at the man. He was standing around with who Keith assumed where his friends while Keith was locked in here with not even a pillow to keep him company.

There seemed to be a bit of an argument beginning. The one that had asked the man the question, the small one, seemed taken aback by the man's response, but it was the big one who replied with large hand motions and wide eyes. He seemed to be trying to make a point but the man just shook his head and peered to the left at something that was hidden from Keith's vison. The man lifted his hand and pressed it against the wall.

"Who are you?" The man asked with a static laced voice and Keith realized he must have pressed an intercom button. Before Keith could decide whether or not it would be wise to respond, the large man's "hushed" voice entered the room.

"Lance, Allura said no! She's gonna kill you!" He stage whispered.

"Take your finger off the button dammit!" The small one said and slapped his- Lance's- hand down, taking the static with it. A silent argument ensued and Keith watched with slight amusement at the large gesticulations that the group took to. After a few minutes it only got tiresome.

He planned on spending as little time in this cell as he could. If he wanted to get out it would mean cooperating. Sadly, he had no idea what they wanted. He would have to put his aggressions aside, no matter how strong they were or how much he wanted to act upon them. He could play nice for a while. Just until he got what he needed and could escape at least.

Keith pulled the blanket off from around his shoulders and placed it down on his "bed" before stretching briefly. He stood and walked to the window. The group didn't notice him until he tapped on the glass, affectively grabbing their attentions.

The big man jumped and the little one took a small step away from the window. Lance snapped his head to Keith's direction and froze. Keith had to point to where he assumed the intercom button was before Lance moved again.

Lance first looked to his two companions, almost asking for permission, but neither of them moved. He looked back to Keith who just stared back at him before he finally pushed the button. The static came on but no words followed. Keith took it as his cue.

"My name is Keith," start simple, he thought.

"Oh." Is all any of them have to say, but after a moment it's the large man that responds.

"That isn't a very Galran name." He says with curiosity mixing into his cautious tone. Keith doesn't really know how to respond to this.

"Well-" He is cut off by the small one.

"And you don't look like a normal Galra either! Why don't you have fur? But you have purple skin? Why aren't you super tall? Why do your eyes have two different yellows in them? Why do you have hair on your head like a human, but big fluffy ears like a Galra? Why-" Lance slaps a hand over the small ones mouth.

"Pidge, chill." He turns back to Keith. "But seriously, what's with you? You didn't look like this when I ran into you at first." As he finishes Pidge pulls his hand off of his face.

Keith narrows his eyes at Lance. This man had the audacity to speak about that as if he had meet with an acquaintance for coffee. As if he didn't turn around and get his savior captured and thrown into a cell.

"You mean when I saved your ass from the sentries and you bailed on me without a word?" The anger in Keith was licking at him like burning flames. He knew that he was going to get himself into trouble before he had even gotten anywhere useful if he didn't calm down. He took a deep breath.

Lance's eyes widened and his friends looked at him.

"I thought you said he only helped you fight off a hoard of sentries and Galran officials right before Shiro came in?" The big one asked. Lance gave him a shaky smile.

"Well he did… But he also helped me earlier?" With the hand that wasn't holding down the intercom button Lance rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

"What the hell Lance!" The small one- Pidge shouted. "Can't you handle even one mission by yourself?"

"It's not my fault, you wouldn't give me any accurate directions and kept leading me right into the guards!"

"Don't you try to pin this on me, you let yourself be- be _seduced_ by Nyma! You let your Bayard be stolen."

"Now guys-"

"Shut up Hunk!" They both said in unison, that appearing to be the one thing they both agreed on. Hunk raised his hands defensively but then pointed over to Keith once he knew that he had their attention. They seemed to remember that they were speaking quite openly right in front of their prisoner, practically feeding him details that he may be able to turn against them if he were to become free.

Pidge and Lance glared at each other for a moment before looking away and refusing to make eye contact with each other again.

"So, why _do_ you look like that?" Hunk asked, trying to get the group back on track.

Keith supposed that this question was innocent enough. After all, Galra were generally not a very loved species and if he could get them to look past that part of him it might be a bit easier to make friends.

"I'm only half Galran, I can change my body to match one half or the other. This is my in between state." He tries to explain in simple terms. The three of them look at him with amazement before Pidge chimes in with more questions.

"What's your other half? Can you change into that just as easily? Would-" This time it was Hunk who cut him off.

"One at a time Pidge."

"I can change to my other half, but I usually don't, so I'm a bit out of practice. I could probably only change half way." Keith rubs at his arm nervously. He didn't exactly want to change. That was his most vulnerable state after all.

"What is your other half?" Asks Lance. Keith glares at him a bit before he opens his mouth to answer, but his stomach answers for him growling loudly. He looks at them each in turn and can tell that all of them heard it.

"You don't think you guys can get me any food, maybe?" Keith asks, hoping against hope that maybe these captors were nice and capable of obtaining food that wasn't going to kill him if he ate it. Asking them for it was a risk, it gave them a power over him. They already had so much of that, but Keith felt as if they might not realize it, or maybe they just weren't going to use it against him just yet.

They looked at each other in unison. All of them suddenly seemed to become nervous. Lance's finger slipped from the button and they turned away from the window as they discussed his request. The longer they stood huddled in a circle the more Keith regretted ever asking, he should have toughed it out, he had gone days without food before, but he had never felt so hungry. He'd been trying to ignore the gnawing pain for a while now, but he had no clue when the last time he ate was. Didn't even remember the last thing he ate.

They didn't move for quite some time and Keith was about to go back to sit on his "bed" when they finally broke huddle.

"If you answer a few questions we can get you food," said Lance.

This was what Keith was afraid of. He said nothing and let Lance continue.

"Only, like, three questions." When Keith still didn't respond Lance cocked an arrogant smile and began.

"Are you with Zarkon's army?"

"No, I tried to tell you that from the beginning before you shot at me." Keith deadpanned. He still couldn't help hating this man.

Lance's companions looked at him with matching expressions of annoyance. Lance refused to meet their gazes, even though he could feel them boring into his soul, and kept a nervous smile on his face.

"Well… next question. What were you doing on the ship?" Lance asked quickly. Keith had a moment to think of an excuse. He wasn't quite ready to speak of The Blade just yet. He didn't want to give away anything that could compromise his family, his cause. He still didn't know these people's standing as of the Galra, but as far as he could tell they were enemies of the Army. However, Keith himself appeared Galran and that had probably knocked him down a few ranks in their eyes so they probablt wouldn't trust him as easily-

Stop over thinking and answer him you dumbass.

"I am rebelling against Zarkon's rule. I thought that there was a weapon in that ship that could help me do so." He said. Both were true. The weapon part was a gamble. The weapon was obviously Lance's but this way he might be able to get more information on it and at the same time make his story more believable.

"My Bayard!" He exclaimed. Pidge punched him abruptly.

"Dumbass, he didn't know what it was called. You keep leaking information. If he is lying about who he is then he can use all of this against us." Lance rubs at his arm where Pidge punched him, still holding down the button.

"But he was killing all of those soldiers and helping me. His story checks out." Lance turns to them with confusion, like what he was saying was impossibly obvious.

"You can never really know what a stranger's motives are Lance." Hunk says sadly. Lance frowns and Keith can't help to think the same thing as earlier. A frown seems foreign on this strangers face, even though he has hardly seen him at all, in the times before he always had a grin of some sort on his face.

"Fine, moving on. What is your other half?" He asks and a small grin sets itself on his face, setting Keith's nerves at ease.

"That is your last question? Then you'll feed me?" He asks with disbelief.

"Yes, answer." Keith raises his eyebrows but does as he says.

"Human." The second the word comes out of his mouth three sets of eyebrows shoot up and there is a second of static free silence as Lance's hand slips from the button. The three of them look at each other for a moment before all of their mouths are moving and they push at each other in an excited confusion. They look at Keith and talk, but Keith can't hear a word.

He points to the button on the wall and Hunk and Pidge both turn to Lance, who is still looking at Keith confused and not seeming to understand what's going on. That is, until Pidge punches him on the arm again and he begins arguing with him. Hunk walks around both of them and presses the button.

"…and you are always so mean to me!" Keith can hear Lance whine.

"Well you're just a baby! And you always complain about the randomest shit. "I'll never be able to drink earth water again!" What the fucking hell is up with that!?"

"Pidge, language!" Hunk says sternly, Pidge glances his way for a moment.

"Sorry, what the fucking _heck_ is up with that." He fixes. Hunk is about to continue and Lance is about to complain some more but then Keith's stomach growls again, much louder than the first time, and the group is reminded of his presence. It takes them a second but then they are all talking at once at Keith.

A lot of it is a jumbled mix of nonsense but they all seem to be talking about the same thing.

"… Human! You can't be a human! That's impossible, that's what we are. There are no Galra on earth… There _aren't_ right?" Lance says worry seeping into his tone.

"How would I know? I've never been there." Keith answers defensively.

"Wait, so are you serious about this? You aren't kidding or something?" Pidge asks. Keith figures there is only one way to prove it.

He closes his eyes and focuses on the other half of himself. Thinking of every part of him that isn't Galran. He pulls those parts to the surface and focuses on locking them there. Once he feels like they have been set in place he relaxes. Once he changes, unless he tries to change back, the form will hold without him having to think about it.

There is only silence. The static is there, but no one is talking. Keith opens his eyes and looks around. Everything always looks so different with these eyes. Keith honestly likes them better, the colors are brighter, even if it is a bit harder to see in the dark. He looks at the group before him and can't help catching Lance's gaze. It's even bluer than before and he finds himself momentarily mesmerized by them.

"You still have cat ears," Lance says. Keith reaches up and feels the top of his head. Sure enough there is a set of fluffy Galran ears resting there.

"They aren't cat ears!" He yells at him defensively. He's bit self-conscious in that department and hearing that insult thrown so causally around makes him want to hide. "I told you I haven't done this in a while. The ears are the hardest part..." He mumbles and keeps his hands over top of his ears, concealing them from the others.

Lance smirks at him. All of them are smiling at him.

"Cute," Pidge says with a laugh. "You still have fangs, but they're adorable."

Keith looks at them with his mouth slightly open and scoffs. "I know that I'm your prisoner, but that doesn't mean that you have to be so mean to me."

The group sobers up at the word prisoner, they all look to their feet, as if ashamed. Lance especially.

"I guess this means we owe you dinner."

"And a drink." Keith adds, finally removing his hands from his ears and crossing them over his chest.

"Alright then. We'll be back I guess." Hunk says and removes his finger. The static leaves with them.

Keith walks back over to the "bed" and grabs the blanket, wrapping himself back up in it again. He regrets not asking for a pillow as well as he leans back against the wall to wait.

 **...**

 **Back in record time it seems! Thanks to everyone who has read and review and enjoyed this story so far! I hope you stick with me as I continue writing. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

He didn't have to wait longer than half an hour, but it still felt like an eternity. His stomach growled loudly every few minutes or so and would twist in pain at the sound. The thought that food was so close had it in a frenzy.

When the group finally showed up again, they were short one member. The boy with glasses, Pidge, was not with Hunk and Lance. That wasn't something that concerned him at the moment though.

A large bowl of green gooey mass was being held by Hunk as Lance looked at the door to Keith's cell curiously. Lance was holding a pitcher of water and a glass.

Keith stood and wandered his way over to the door at the will of his shouting stomach, which didn't seem to care about the unappetizing appearance of his dinner. Before he realized it Keith was standing with his face inches from the glass staring at the food intensely. When Hunk moved the food out of his line of sight to help Lance with whatever the hell he was doing the trance broke.

Keith took a step back and blinked.

Hunk and Lance were feeling along the door, maybe for a chute to send the food to him, but they couldn't seem to find anything. After a minute they stopped and looked at each other before looking to Keith, who was still relatively close to the window.

Lance pressed the button.

"Umm, we don't know how to get the food to you…" He says with a sheepish smile. Keith must have looked crestfallen, lips parted just slightly, sad eyes, and flattened ears. Keith's stomach protested at the same time.

"Don't you know where the chute is? Isn't this your ship?" Keith asked quietly. A prisoner to strangers who can't even feed him. This situation just kept getting worse.

"Not exactly. But don't worry, we'll find a way to feed you," Hunk said reassuringly. Lance nodded with him. They both set down the food and drink before feeling along the door again. Lance kept his finger on the button so that Keith could talk to him.

"Can't you just open the door and push the stuff through the crack? I wouldn't try to escape, it's not like I have any weapons or any idea of where to go." Keith was practically begging at this point, it was almost as if he could smell the food, a foot away but impossibly out of reach. Of course he couldn't really smell the food, but his stomach was creating sweet delusions.

"Even if that were true it wouldn't matter. We don't even know how to open this door in the first place, let alone have the key to unlock it. And Allura would kill us if she found out that…" There was a moment of silent static as Lance thought over his own words, but it was Hunk who broke the silence.

"Pidge! She would know what to do! She should be done eating by now anyways! I'll go get her," and with that Hunk was off down the hall.

"Pidge is a girl?" Keith asked, intrigued. He had been thinking of her as a him. She had never specified in the first place, so it was fair.

"Yeah, she fooled all of us once. We thought she was a he for at least a month before she dropped it all on us." Lance says with a faraway look on his face as he remembers. He pauses for a moment before his face broke in a crooked grin. "But of course I had suspected something the whole time. The rest of the team- they were so surprised!" Lance says loudly.

Keith had a sneaking suspicion that Lance was lying through his teeth.

Keith doesn't respond, he can't decide if he wants to show his true feelings to Lance ( _seriously disliking him,_ because, like Thace always said, hate is a strong word) or playing along and getting information out of him.

"So, where are you from?" He seems genuinely curious. Keith thinks about his response for a moment.

"No, I think you should answer one of my questions first." Keith only allows Lance time to comprehend his words before he is continuing. "Who are _you_? What kind of- I don't know- group are you people?"

Lance seems confused for a moment before he speaks hesitantly, "You mean Voltron?"

Keith's mind moves quickly, trying to process the information he had just been given. There had been an old fairy tale about a robot named Voltron that could defeat Zarkon, but it was just that. A fairy tale. This group was obviously against Zarkon. They must have picked up the name in hope that it would spark defiance in people around the universe.

"Vol… Tron?" Keith answers. "Why did you name yourselves after a fairy tale?" Keith asks innocently, his ears perking up to hear every detail. He didn't much like Lance, but if he was going to just spill details he wouldn't stop him.

"We didn't! Everyone says that!" He frowns a bit before sighing. "We're the real deal. We've got almost every aspect of Voltron ready to go. Once the last Paladin shows up we'll defeat Zarkon and save Earth." Lance says with a seriousness Keith had yet to hear him use.

"And the universe?" Keith asks raising one eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah. That too." Lance says without a hint of embarrassment.

"How could you forget the Universe?!" Keith says, rather loudly as he looks at Lance unbelievingly.

"I didn't, I just happened to not mention it."

"Just like you _happened_ to not mention that I saved your ass more than once and get me locked in here?" Keith fires back venomously. Lance narrows his eyes at him.

"I tried to stop Shiro before he knocked you out. I really did." He says as he shakes his head and looks off to the side. "I tried to tell Allura that you helped me. That you _saved_ me for fucks sake. But she wouldn't have any of it. And you probably don't know why any of that matters or who the hell I'm talking about but- I'm sorry." Lance's mouth is set in a firm line and his soft blue eyes hold Keith's. His apology is sincere. "I'm going to try to help you. But I don't-"

"Lance, I found Pidge!" Hunk exclaims from somewhere out of Keith's line of sight. He can faintly make out the sound of Pidge's quiet complaints.

"Pidge is our technology expert." Lance says, as if he hadn't just been speaking of betraying who sounded like a higher up. Betrayal must come naturally to him.

Well, maybe it wasn't fair of Keith to think that. He did apologize, and technically it wasn't Lance who knocked him out. But at the same time Keith didn't know if he trusted or even forgave him yet. He had no reason to. Lance didn't strike Keith as the type that he usually made friends with anyways. He even gave off a slightly annoying vibe. A needy, whiny vibe.

"Keith?" Pidge says. Keith looks up from where his gaze had wandered to his feet with thought.

"Huh?" Keith says intelligently. Pidge just rolls her eyes.

"Okay then," She looks to Hunk, "The panel the intercom button is on- Lance, move your finger, it's in the way."

The static leaves and it seems as if the world losses all sound. He hadn't notice it earlier, but it was almost like space has made its void-like home inside of Keith's cell. The silence was violent. Was he deaf? What was that voice in his mind whispering? Was it really a good idea to listen to it?

Keith takes a breath and lets the sound of the air moving in and out of his lungs calm him. There is still sound. He is okay. Just- Deep breaths. No attacks here. Just… hunger induced delusions.

"…and it should shut by itself, Lance are you listening to me?" Pidge's static laced voice comes on again, sending a wave of calm though him.

"Keith are you okay?" Lance asks. He seems slightly worried. Keith opens his eyes and looks up at Lance. He has to look up pretty far because he is sitting on the floor. When that happened he didn't know, but he stood, trying to play it off.

"Just starving." He says with sarcasm. Lance narrows his eyes at him, he doesn't believe Keith. Keith glares back at him, a silent message reading, it's none of your business.

Pidge left as soon as she finished and Hunk doesn't seem to notice the exchange. At first at least. But while he is placing the food and drink in the fold out chute he sees the glare off between the two of them.

"Uh, guys?" He says nervously as he slides the food through the door. He gets Lance's attention with his words, and Keith's with the food. Keith is on it in seconds, shoveling the food into his mouth rapidly while his stomach gurgles in satisfaction. He is finished in what must have been thirty seconds and moves onto the pitcher full of water.

"Dude." Hunk says when Keith finishes. Keith looks at him for a moment before placing the empty dishes back in the shoot. Hunk pulls it through the door and takes the dishes. He shuts his mouth back from where it had been open in surprise before folding the chute back up into the door.

"I guess you really were hungry. It would have been three days since you ate after all." Lance says. Hunk nods in agreement.

"Three… days? But… It can't be." Keith says to himself. Hunk gives him a sad look.

"You spent a whole day in the healing chamber, you were pretty beat up from your last fight, even before Shiro hit you. But then you sent the next day sleeping in here. We had no idea when you were going to wake up." Hunk says. He continues, "We had to keep dragging Lance away though, he came to check on you, like, every 45 minutes."

"Hunk! I did not!"

"You're right, it was more like every 30 minutes."

"Hunk!" Lance's voice squeaked.

""What if Shiro hurt his spinal cord and gave him brain damage? Maybe he's afraid that the Galra captured him! I'll go check and make sure that his room has oxygen in it." You make up the weirdest excuses dude." Hunk chuckles. Keith smiles at him. Even gives a small snort in response to his story.

"That's funny, because I had to wait hours before you guys showed up." Keith says, trying to ignore the faint heat on his cheeks.

"It's not our fault that you woke up in the middle of the night." Lance says. He seems to do that a lot. Push the blame away from himself.

Then a question pops into his mind. A question he should have asked from the beginning.

"Wait. If you guys already knew that I was against Zarkon and all, why am I even in here in the first place?" After the two of them get over the initial confusion over the sudden change of topic they don guilty looks.

Hunk shifts his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Because… You're a Galra yourself… and Allura doesn't trust you because of that. Most of the rest of us are convinced that you're on our side. Pidge was able to pull the footage from the room where Lance's Bayard was hidden and we all saw how you saved Lance." Hunk nudged Lance and smiled at him, Lance just pouted. "But Allura… She said that she didn't want to take any chances…" Hunk trailed off.

"So what do I have to do to get out of here?" Keith asks. Hunk and Lance look at each other.

"Well," Lance starts, "She's asleep right now, since it is about 6 in the morning, but she should be up soon and once she is we can bring her down here to interview you."

"And if I check out you'll let me out." Keith finishes. They both nod. "Hold on, you've been talking to me for at least an hour… Lance, did you wake up your friends to come and talk to me?" Keith mocks, referring to Hunk's earlier story. Lance's face dusted slightly pick with embarrassment.

"Man he's smart isn't he Lance." Hunk nudges him with a goofy grin on his face. Lance just averts his gaze.

"I wanted to make sure that you were okay…" He mutters, but Keith can hear every word. "And I wanted- I just thought that I should… say thank you…" Lance says, meeting Keith's eyes.

It might just be that fact that he is happily feed, or the prospect that he won't be stuck here forever, but Keith is beginning to think that maybe he didn't dislike Lance as strongly as he may have earlier.

Hunk looks at Lance with genuine surprise before smiling and shaking his head.

"What kind of trouble did you get yourself into, Lance?" He mumbles under his breath. Lance didn't hear it, but even with the static Keith caught every word.

"I'll go look for Allura!" Lance states suddenly, taking his finger off the button and saying something else to Keith before leaving. Keith could not read his lips and Lance seemed to have forgotten about the sound barrier. He leaves with Hunk following behind him closely, also not realizing Lance's mistake.

Keith is left to wait in the static-free cell by himself.

 **...**

 **Thank you guys so much for the reviews! Oh and by the way, don't expect these updates to be so regular. I've just been having a good week... 3**


	4. Chapter 4

Keith had some time to make a game plan, which was what he did to combat the silence. If he was focused on something other than the solitary nothingness of his cell he would be fine. Maybe.

Anyway, Keith decided that he would set all of his cards on the table this time. He would tell this "Allura" about everything, including the Blade of Marmora.

He usually wouldn't even let the thought cross his mind, but this group… He didn't really understand but they seemed like they were trustworthy despite… well… obvious reasons. They just acted too- too _good_. Almost like they weren't capable of being _bad_. They are against the Galra, definitely. And if Keith told them about the Blade they could gain allies. Allies they need, because the Blade can't save the universe on its own.

So he would tell them and hope that he wasn't met with opposition. His game plan was made…

And no one was here yet.

Keith sighed and pulled the blanket up higher around his shoulders as he leaned back against the "bed" from where he was sitting on the floor. Not having fur did _not_ make staying warm easy. He could turn back to his Galran form but that would take quite a bit of energy. He didn't want to be interrogated when he wasn't functioning at 100 percent.

Not only that, but Lance and Hunk had both hinted at Allura being very… he supposed racist would be the correct term here. He could understand how someone would feel that way towards Galra seeing as most of them were trying to take over the universe under the order of Zarkon.

But this was going to be a problem for Keith. People who had this state of mind put others in a box and locked them there along with all the chances they may get to become friends or allies. They wouldn't give someone a chance simply because of the fact that they weren't one species or another. These people were stubborn in their ways and hard to sway, but Keith would have to find a way to make her look past that difficult mindset of hers.

He hadn't done it in a very long time but he may be able to change his ears into the stubby hard-of-hearing ears of his human form. It would take a lot of concentration to do so, and there was no guarantee that it would hold, seeing as he hardly ever used them. If he did manage to pull it off he could easily frack it up. All it would take was one thought like, "Why can't I hear as well as usual?" Or, "Why does my head feel so light?" and it was all over. He didn't even have to try to get them back, they would revert without his consent if he forgot for even a second that he was using his human ears.

If Allura really was racist then having his ears pop out in the middle of the interrogation might freak her out more than if he just had them out in the first place. It would be risky, but the less Galra of him that she saw the better, so he got to work.

This time he went more in depth for the changing process. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his mouth and let it out through his nose. He did this two more times before he felt completely and truly relaxed. Now when he breathed in he thought of drawing in his Galran ears. When he breathed out he thought of pushing out his human ears. It took about six breaths before his ears had switched, the human ears feeling awkward and out of place on either side of his head.

When he opened his eyes he was alarmed to meet the gaze of an unfamiliar face on the other side of his cell's window. Blue and magenta eyes looked at Keith with poorly hidden disdain. The gaze came from a beautifully dark face with soft pink marks that rested beneath the eyes. A small wrap-around crown rested on a dark forehead and disappeared into elegant mess of wavy white locks.

This must be Allura. Her authority rolled off of her in waves. Her regal posture and her calculating gaze told Keith all he needed to know about her. She was in charge and she knew what she was doing.

He also knew that she had seen him change his ears. The way her mouth was set in a hard line and her brows were drawn in said it all. She had seen it and she had not liked what she had seen.

Keith stood slowly. He didn't want to give her any more reason to hate him and he felt he was already on very thin ice at this point, so he would have to move around this conversation with _extreme_ care.

He placed the blanket on the bed and waited for her to make the next move. She didn't move for a few ticks, just stood regarding him as if he were a dangerous animal in a zoo.

Finally she pushed the button. With his dull ears he couldn't hear the static come on with Allura's voice.

"Do you know who I am?" She asked with a sweetly accented voice. Keith didn't know if he should answer with truth or not. He may get the group that visited earlier in trouble. Hunk had said something along the lines of, "Lance, Allura said no! She's gonna kill you!" When Lance had first pushed the button to talk with Keith almost two hours ago.

"No," Keith answered. He didn't want to throw anyone under the bus when it would benefit no one. Allura would tell him who she was and what Keith should know about her.

"I know Hunk and Lance talked to you against my wishes. They were the ones to come and tell me that you were awake after all, and despite how much it aggravates me, I knew that it would happen. They are not in trouble so you don't have to protect them. I'm sure they told you about me." She says in a tired voice. Keith processes her words and can't help to snort and smile ever so slightly. Allura narrowed her eyes at him. "What's so funny?" She says with a dangerous voice. Keith opts to answer truthfully.

"It's just that, you told me that I didn't need to worry about protecting Lance when I've been doing exactly that all this time and all it has done is lead me to trouble." Keith explained. Allura holds his gaze for a moment longer before letting her face relax.

"That is ironic." She takes a breath. "Why _have_ you been protecting Lance anyways?"

Why had he been protecting Lance? Keith honestly didn't know. As he thought about the reason he had done it just now was different from the reason that he had done it the first time. The first time he had done it simply because he was curious. He fought off the sentries that had been chasing Lance, a stranger at the time, because he had never seen anything like him before. He had never seen a rebel in a Galra ship other than himself incognito on a mission and it intrigued him, so he decided to help him out. The next time he protected Lance was the fight before Shiro knocked him out.

He didn't know why he had done it then. At the time he had blamed it on the silence. Now that he thought about it, it was probably more because of the way that Lance's voice, which had been defiant and angry, had suddenly cut off mid-sentence, the silence replacing it and taking over the entire room. The silence had seemed so similar to that same silence from so long ago. The one that he had been forced to ignore and retreat with. The one that he still regretted to this day.

And then he protected Lance once more just now. Well, Lance and Hunk and Pidge (Even though it didn't seem like she knew Pidge was a part of this) But that was more of a feeling of protecting someone who had showed him kindness. Starvation can do crazy things to a person's mind after all.

"I protected him at first because he was the first rebel I had ever seen on a Galra ship other than myself or others in my group." That was as good an introduction as he was going to get.

Allura narrowed her eyes at him. "Group?"

And so Keith told her. He told her about the Blade of Marmora and how they were working on some high level infiltration of the Galran army. He told her of how they were in the process of tearing them apart from the inside out. He told her of how difficult it was becoming to do so when Zarkon's army had hardly any opposition other than the group itself. That was when Keith saw a smile grace her face. It was slightly dark and just a bit crazy but it was a smile nonetheless.

"That won't be the case for much longer. Voltron _will_ stop Zarkon," she said with such determination that Keith was almost convinced this was the truth right there. She blinked and was suddenly back on track.

"You said that you did deep infiltration missions. How?"

This was a fair question. An important question that she wouldn't like the answer to, but Keith had no choice.

"All members of the Blade of Marmora are of Galra heritage or are like me and have Galra blood in them. Most of the members have either been wronged by Zarkon or have seen firsthand the havoc that Zarkon has been reaping for ten thousand years too long." He paused to check her reaction. Unlike earlier he was unable to read her emotions. When she didn't stop him he continued, "Because we are all Galra we can easily become a part of Zarkon's army. Sentries and droids won't bother us because Galra soldiers are higher up than them, and other Galras usually just ignore us, assuming that we are either a newbie on some trash food run or a higher up checking the place out to make sure that it's up to par.

"But the deep infiltration missions; those are more complicated. Usually a member will actually go through army training and work their way up through the ranks so that no one can question their authority. Once they gain a position of power, which usually takes years, they can't leave and are forced to stay with the army and communicate with the Blade only once a month or less. They decide on their own what moves would affect the Army the most and what has to be avoided so that their cover isn't blown. If they are captured there is nothing that the Blade can do. They die for the cause." Keith finishes with a slight hitch in his voice. He hadn't meant to go so into detail, but he had ended up rambling, one mission in particular coming to mind.

"Mhm," was all she had to say after listening to his story. Keith felt a little bit irritated by that, but knew better than to say anything. He waited for her to ask her questions.

"So you were on a mission when you saw Lance and decided to help him? What was your mission?" She asked.

"The Blade's radar had picked up on something giving off high levels of quintessence. A weapon that had been sitting on a ship in route straight to Zarkon. One part my mission was to assure that he never got the weapon, the other was to recover it so that the Blade could examine it and try to figure out what made it radiate such high levels of something that Zarkon was so weak to." Allura seemed to be deciding whether or not he was telling the truth.

"Your story checks out. It makes sense and-" She looks up from where she was thoughtfully gazing at a panel on the cell door and met Keith's gaze. "It matches what Lance said exactly, so either you have been telling the truth the whole time, or you're a very skilled liar." Keith says nothing in response. Of course she would have talked to Lance. She had said that she knew he would talk to Keith. It would be a highly strategic move to grill a prisoner from a relaxed uncensored state and from one where the prisoner actually chooses his words specifically. Whether this was her original intent or she just knew how to make use of a not completely ideal situation- he didn't know, but he respected the fact that she was able to use this to her advantage.

"This is your human form." She states more than asks. "When you are around myself and the others I would appreciate it if you tried to stay in such. I will let you out of the cell. We have accommodations set up for you elsewhere. You can thank Lance for such. As of right now we are unable to get comms out, so you will be unable to contact the Blade until they are fixed, we ended up being attacked by the Galra ship Lance's Bayard was recovered from. I will let the paladins brief you on the rest but know that the _second_ anything odd happens- anything that could put my Paladins, my _friends_ , in danger you will be blamed and thrown into a cell and shot into space where you will slowly suffocate to death from oxygen shortage," her voice was low and threating and so frightening that Keith felt shivers run down his spine. If he had had his ears out-

Shit.

Allura looked at his Galran ears for a moment, narrowing her eyes before cracking a small sadistic smile. "It's nice to know that I sound as threatening as I really am," her staticy voice sounded prideful. "Lance told me that the ears were difficult for you. I saw you switch them, it looked like it took a lot of concentration." She was still holding down the button as she messed with the panel that Keith couldn't see, but still knew was there. He could hear her pressing buttons, presumably to free him from his cage.

"You remind me of the Laniaki from back home." She said with a giggle and pushed a few more buttons. "I suppose if it really is challenging for you, you may keep them out."

Keith wondered for a brief moment if he had been reading a bit too much into what Lance and Hunk had hinted at. Maybe she had been swayed prior to her interrogation. Maybe Lance really had managed to get her on his side.

Maybe Lance really was helping him.

There was a sudden rush of air and squeak of mechanics and then the door of his cell was open. Allura beckoned him towards her. He took a step forward and almost started towards her, but he turned back at the last moment and grabbed the blanket he had woken up with. He wrapped it up in a ball in his arms and then walked out of the cell. Allura said nothing about the blanket but did tell him that she had things to do and that he should continue down the hall to the left. The others would be waiting for him there.

Well now, he wouldn't want to keep them waiting.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lance, Pidge, and Hunk had been forced to wait outside of the "cell block" (It wasn't really big enough to call it a block, but there were 5 "cells" tucked off to the side of the castle and for lack of a better name, that is what it was called.) while Allura interrogated Keith. They all understood why this had to be done, but that didn't mean that a _certain someone_ was happy about it.

"Dude, that isn't fair, Allura is so intimidating!" Lance complained. All three of them stood in a semi-circle around the hallway's entrance. The hallway curved and cut off their vison to the end, making it impossible for the paladins to see Allura or the cell.

"It will be fine, Lance. Keith seems like he's telling the truth, Allura will be able to see that." Hunk says.

"Don't you, "It will be fine Lance" me! You are a traitor and I can't be your friend!" Lance crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Haha, Lance, you gotta admit, the look on his face when I told him about you checking on him while he was sleeping was so worth feeling your secondhand embarrassment." Hunk chuckled. Pidge laughed at Lance with Hunk.

"Man I missed it." She complained.

Lance's face had been burning when Hunk had just kept rambling about Lance's little habit to Keith. Lance had ended up becoming adamant and probably made a fool out of himself while he had been trying to save his dignity. But that was nothing new to him.

Lance ran over the last encounter with Keith in his mind. He and Hunk had returned with Keith's food and ended up not being able to give it to him. Lance remembered Keith's face as he told him, how it fell and his ears folded down in disappointment and he looked utterly dejected. If it had been hard for Lance to think of him as a ruthless Galran soldier before, it had become impossible for him to think of Keith as one after that. He was determined to get his savoir some food and pay off the debt that he owed to him, because there was no way that Lance was going to owe _anyone anything_.

Of course just getting him food wouldn't be enough to repay someone for saving his life twice in a row, but it was a good start.

Hunk went and got Katie, well _Pidge_ \- He still though Pidge was a much cooler name than Katie, so that is what he called her, along with everyone else in the castle- and while Hunk was gone he attempted to start some small talk, get to know Keith a little better, when suddenly it was Lance being grilled like he was the one in the cell.

Eventually the topic turned to the subject of how Keith had saved Lance and in return the group (Even though Keith seemed to think of it being solely Lance's choice) had knocked him out and locked him up in a cell as a prisoner.

That was when Lance had tried to explain. He let all of his guilt seep into every word and spoke sincerely. He told Keith how he had been trying to help him in every possible way, he even took the chance to apologize and promise that he would do his best to get him out. He was in the middle of a sentence when Hunk had shown up with Pidge, and despite the two of them being his best friends Lance didn't want to drag them into any of the mess that he was creating. When he suddenly changed topics from helping him, to what Pidge was good at, Keith had narrowed his eyes at him distrustfully.

Eventually it had gotten to the point where Keith was just glaring at him. Lance was forced to look away and listen to Pidge explain how the food chute worked. He even had to take his finger from the intercom button as Pidge screwed around on the panel before him. At first he had payed attention to the mechanics, but then he felt a sinking feeling in his gut. One he couldn't explain. It was almost like his body was telling him that something was very wrong. He had looked around to try to discern what the problem was.

He had looked up just in time to see Keith fall to his knees on the floor. His eyes had been screwed shut, his ears pinned down hard against the top of his head, his hands gripping at his hair, and his mouth in a heavy frown. Lance had pushed Pidge over a bit to press the intercom button. He waited a moment before speaking. When Keith heard him his eyes shot open and his eyes scanned everything around him before falling on Lance. Lance received a sarcastic answer to his sincere question and ended up only pissing Keith off with his prying.

Wasn't he just great at this?

With the chute activated Keith gets to eat (Which takes all of thirty seconds) and then they get to talk a bit more.

That is when Hunk Betrays him, and Lance still can't decide if he wants to forgive him for the embarrassment that he was forced to endure.

It was after Lance's face had cooled enough to not be mistaken for a tomato that they began to talk about Allura and how Keith was going to be allowed out.

Lance, face cooled and everything, was embarrassed yet again, but this time by Keith's own intelligence as he called him out on his 'checking up' so early (Come on five o'clock isn't that early if it's in space…) in the morning. Wanting to save himself from that heat that he knew was soon to return he quickly thanked Keith for saving him, something that he promised himself he would do before he left Keith, and then announced that he would be helpful and go find Allura.

Before he can fully leave though he took his finger from the intercom button and told Keith, " _Buena_ _suerte. Ten cuidado, Keith_." Why he decided to say that, he didn't know.

It was something that his family always did. A kind of… farewell, which they always used. Whether it be a trip to the grocery store, or a last goodbye as Lance went to live and train at the garrison, his family always said it to show a casual love.

Lance did it to most everyone on the ship. They were like his second family after all. But it was a bit odd that he had taken to Keith so quickly. He didn't say those words to any of the Paladins or Alteans for at least a month.

Luckily Hunk hadn't noticed this and Lance was at least in the clear for teasing in that aspect.

Now, he was stood here, waiting anxiously to see if Keith would receive Allura's seal of approval.

"Dude, stop tapping you're foot, you're making _us_ nervous." Pidge says as her eyes stare off down the hallway. Lance does as she says and instead begins biting his nails.

He had only gone through two nails on his left hand before Keith _finally_ showed up. He walked down the hallway with a neutral expression until he saw them. When they met his gaze he smile ever-so-slightly and came closer.

"You okay Lance?" Keith asks and raises an eyebrow. Lance pulls his fingers away from his mouth and wipes the wide smile that he hadn't remembered making off of his face. Keith was freed. Lance had helped free him.

Lance had found Allura earlier. He may have ditched Hunk to search faster, but it didn't matter. He found her on her way to the dining hall for a quick breakfast and decided to try and put in a good word for Keith. He only flirted with her once at the beginning of the conversation, but that subsided quickly as he had needed to get her to Keith before noon.

He ended up telling her the entirety of what had happened (Well, some details were left out) and then was cut off by her as she began to make her way toward the cell block. Hunk had caught up and Pidge passed by. Hunk got her attention and they all trailed behind Allura as if they had been ducks in a row. Right before she had went off she told them that they had to wait outside and that if Keith did come out, they were to handle the whole 'tour' portion of introducing him.

When she said that Lance knew that he had somehow managed to affect her negative bias just a bit more positively.

And now Keith was free.

"I'm cool, awesome!" Lance said with a smirk. ' _One step closer to repaying my debt'_ he thought to himself. Lance had decided that since he had helped free Keith he was at least cleared from the first lifesaving. Just one more to go. He would just have to save Keith at some point. Easy.

"Okay then." Keith drew out the 'o' and raised an eyebrow.

"That's normal behavior for him. You'll get used to it." Pidge said with a sigh. Keith just shrugged and stood awkwardly a few feet away from the group for a few seconds before Hunk spoke out.

"I guess we could show you where your room is now?" He said it more like a question than a statement. "Or maybe we could grab breakfast if you're still hungry. Lance, have you eaten yet?"

"Oh… no I forgot."

"Me too. Breakfast it is!" Hunk says and begins leading the way to the kitchen. "I guess we can start the 'tour' from there then." Says optimistically.

"Yeah, kinda funny, huh? Give the people who haven't even been in 80% of the castle the job of 'tour guides.'" Pidge offers sarcastically.

"How long have you guys been here?" Keith asked, his ears flickering on top of his head. The entire group's attention was pulled to the movement. When none of them answered his ears flattened and he asked once again.

"About a month." Pidge answers quickly before she spoke again, still not looking away from his ears the entire time. "Dude, do your ears move on their own or are you like… Consciously moving them?"

"Umm, well a bit of both. They are um… I guess they are like eyebrows, kinda." Keith struggles for words to explain. He probably hadn't ever thought of it, after all, they were a part of him.

"What the hell?" Lance says as he finally looks to Keith's face.

"Well, eyebrows show expression and you don't always realize that you make them move, they just do." He explains.

"Oooh!" Hunk says as he thinks over his words. "I get it."

"I guess that makes sense." Pidge mumbles and begins walking a bit faster to catch up from where she was lagging behind. "Anyways, yeah, we've been here for about a month. But this place is so huge that we could be here for a year and still not know where everything is." She sighed.

"Not to mention that we have been training with our lions most of the time. Until the red paladin shows up we won't be able to form Voltron. And Shiro can't even get to his lion until all of the lions are present, so the three of us end up having to be strong enough for an entire team of five." Hunk adds.

"It's not too bad, we've bonded pretty well because of it and it makes us a better team." Pidge says, unusually optimistic.

"Yeah, but I don't think any of us are all that great with hand to hand combat. Well, Shiro is. But he's been way to busy trying to locate the red lion to teach us anything and we've just had to use the Altean bots and Lance since he is the next best trained."

"Well…" Keith trails off. He seems conflicted, as if he is deciding whether or not to say something. "I guess that I could teach you sometime while Allura is getting the comms back…" He suggested lightly and looked at each of them in turn to gauge their reactions.

"Really!?" Pidge looks up at him with wonder in her eyes.

"Well, yeah…" Keith says a bit more confidently.

Lance wanted to interject. He wanted to overrule Keith's offer. Lance was the one training the team in hand to hand combat. They needed him for that, and while he may not be the best at it, it was still _his_ job. It wasn't like he could teach sharpshooting to the others, Pidge didn't use a gun and Hunk had a huge gun that didn't need to be precisely aimed to be effective.

It wasn't fair that Keith could just waltz (Okay so it didn't quite happen like that but whatever) in and steal his spot on Voltron.

"Hey, what about me!" Lance interjected. All eyes turned to him, confused.

"What about you?" Hunk ask innocently. "I'm pretty sure he meant he would train all of us, you included."

"No! I mean that I was teaching you guys!"

"Lance you literally only know, like, ten self-defense moves. There is nothing else that you could teach us." Pidge answers logically and still at the same time with an air of sarcasm.

Lance had no defense to that argument. He knew that it was true, but he didn't want it to be. The job, no matter the actual importance of it, gave him a place and a reason. Without it, what was he supposed to do? Well, pilot the blue lion obviously, but that wasn't the point. It made him invaluable to the team, and Keith just pulled that spot out from under him in one sentence.

He was suddenly appreciating the face that Keith saved him _much_ less.

"Hmph." Lance pouted.

 _Fine then, whatever._

Hunk looked at Lance's pouting and rolled his eyes. "We're here. Keith," He turned to Keith. "This is the kitchen. If you need snack or any food you can get it in here. But usually we eat lunch and dinner in the dining hall, which is just down this hallway and the first door on the right." Hunk began to show Keith how to use some of the instruments and Lance grabbed a bowl, quickly filling it with food, and then exiting the room to the dining hall. He needed to cool off for a minute before he went back to touring Keith around.

He ate in silence and alone for about ten minutes before he finished. He took a breath and decided that if Keith was going to take his job he was at least going to show him up in the self-defense area of things. It would be okay, because then they will have to keep Lance to at least learn _that_ much.

 _It will be fine, quit overreacting._

One more breath and he made his way back to the kitchen.

 **...**

 **Sorry for the wait, and the next chapter will go back to Keith's POV. I will probably only do Lance's POV every once in a while to get his thoughts on important things.**

 **Also, the Spanish in this chapter translates to** ** _Good Luck, be safe, Keith._** **Feel free to talk to me about the chapter or story or anything!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lance walked back into the kitchen as they finished their meals looking much chipper than when he had left.

Keith didn't quite understand why Lance had become so upset when he suggested training the team. It was the best option if Lance was only skilled in one area and even then it wasn't much, but he decided to brush it off and let things play out.

"He'll pout for a little bit and then he'll get over it." Hunk had said to him before Lance got back. Keith had only nodded and packed in some more food, attempting to satisfy his angry stomach.

"You guys miss me while I was gone?" Lance asked with a cocky smile and dropped his bowl onto the counter.

"Dude, could you at least _try_ to keep it clean in here?" Hunk whined and picked up Lance's bowl and put it in a large machine. It came out a few seconds later clean. "At least put it away?" He handed Lance the bowl. He sighed and his shoulders drooped like he was holding the universe on his back before dragging himself over to the cabinet he had gotten the bowl from and placing it in its rightful place. Hunk rolled his eyes at Lance's dramatics and moved towards the door.

"We'll show you your room now." Hunk sighed. Pidge who had just been grinning silently from the sidelines the entire time followed behind Hunk closely. The proximity of the two showed the heavy contrasts between the two of them.

Other than the obvious "One is abnormally large and one it incredibly small" there were little small things in how they carried themselves and Keith analyzed each nuance. Pidge, despite being small in stature, walked with such intent and purpose that they seemed almost bigger than the scrawny kid that anyone immediately saw and judged. She held her shoulders back in a proper posture that must have been drilled into her from a young age, but it seemed to be slipping. Her shoulders would cave in every so often and she would walk for a few steps like that before pulling them back stiffly. Keith judged this action to be her relaxing in the presence of her friends and then deciding that she still wanted to be taken seriously. By rolling her shoulders back properly into a hard yet commanding posture she believed people would take her seriously and not just assume that she was incompetent due to her unfortunate size. Keith could respect that.

Hunk was almost the complete opposite. If he were to walk and carry himself like Pidge he would seem intimidating and overbearing, but this was not the case. Hunk may have been huge, but that didn't mean he was frightening. He walked quietly, despite his hulk and smiled brightly (Albeit a bit nervously sometimes) at anyone who would make eye contact with him. It was almost as if he did it to assure the onlooker that he was friendly. By doing this he made himself seem more approachable. Then there was the way that Hunk didn't quite know what to do with his hands. He fiddled and rubbed and never stopped moving his fingers: over his jacket hem, adjusting his headband, putting them in and pulling them out of his pockets, playing with scraps of metal and tools that he seemed to just pull out of nowhere. All of this. It didn't seem like it was a nervous habit, just something that was ingrained in Hunks very being. The need to being doing something at all times.

It was understandable. Keith knew that he always felt like he was wasting time when he wasn't in the middle of something, or if he was waiting for something else.

That was when Lance broke his train of thought coming closer to walk by Keith's side as he trailed behind Hunk and Pidge.

"So, what does it take for someone to become Blade? Where you, like, born into it, or did you divert from the traditional Galra route all on your own?" Lance asked invasively.

Keith had never really had to _explain_ how he had become Blade. He didn't really do anything other than train and go on missions. When he wasn't doing that he was hanging around the other Blade members, who all knew how he had become one of them. It was such an odd yet simple question that he was caught off guard.

"Um…" Keith trailed off while he tried to decide whether or not he wanted to answer. It wasn't exactly a happy memory after all. Well, at least that was what he supposed most people would say about it… "I guess you could say I was born into it." He answered and hoped that it was a good enough answer for Lance.

It was not.

"So do you, like, fight alongside your family? Do you think that they will be worried about you since… you know…" He gestured to the ship.

"They probably think that I got captured by the Galra. They can't do much about that though. They have to believe that I can handle myself."

"Oh." Was all Lance offered for the end of the conversation. There was an awkward silence as Lance looked at his feet. "My family probably thinks that I'm dead." He said suddenly and then quickly changed the topic, dawning a fake smile that didn't even come close to reaching his sad blue eyes. "Do you have any siblings?"

Keith could feel the melancholy from the earlier statement being pushed out of Lance's voice. He decided to let the comment go so as not to upset him.

"No."

"Hmm, which of you parents was Galra?"

Lance just kept pushing into his business, but it was Keith fault for indulging him in the first place. He had fed the stray and now it would keep coming back.

"My mom was." He paused before adding a bit more than was necessarily required. "I didn't know either of them. My parents that is." Lance raised his eyebrow, but stayed silent for once. Keith didn't know what to do with the odd silence, so he filled it. "My mother had been a part of the Blade, I don't know anything about my father other than the fact that he must have been human. My mom died on a mission shortly after I was born and I was raised by the other Blade members. I guess you could say that they are my real family…" Keith trailed off when he caught himself rambling. He glance over at Lance who was looking at him sadly.

"I'm sorry I asked." He mumbled.

"This is where your room will be." Hunk said as he turned to face the two of them and pointed down a hall. Keith hadn't even been paying attention to where they were going. As he glanced around he tried to take in everything at once.

They were in a hallway that branched off in two different directions- left and right. Hunk was pointing to the right, down which he assumed were rooms.

"The rest of the Paladins sleep down that hall there," Pidge pointed down a hall to the left. "This is a 'guest room' I guess." She put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Our rooms are pretty much the same though."

"Come on, I'll show you which one we have ready for you. We moved your stuff into the room and there are some extra clothes in there as well so you don't have to wear your armor or that under suit while you wait for the comms to come back up." Lance perked up.

The group followed Lance and stopped when they approached the second door on the right side of the hall. Lance tapped a button on the wall and the doors opened revealing a single bed not unlike the one in the cell and a bedside table. On the opposite wall there was a small wardrobe. Next to the wardrobe was a door that he assumed lead to a bathroom.

On the bed Keith's things were laid out and he quickly looked over everything and made sure that everything was there.

His Galran armor he used to blend in on missions, his belt and the pouches on the belt that held various miscellaneous items, his half cloak, and his Blade sword and sheath.

Keith quickly tugged a hair tie from one of the pouches and pulled his messy hair into a low ponytail. It could hardly be called a ponytail as he had only been able to gather the back of it together and the rest of his hair would come loose and go right back into his eyes. The Blade members back home always made fun of him for it when he was little. Kolivan especially, whose braid of lightweight white hair was worn wrapped around his neck and hanging over his shoulder.

 _"That's nothing like a real Blade's ponytail! Your hair is much too heavy and silky. And so dark." He said as he ran his fingers through Keith's hair. Keith giggled at him and responded,_

 _"And it doesn't grow as fast as your hair." He reached for Kolivan's braid and play with it as he finished brushing through his hair. "Why is my hair so different from yours and Thace's and everyone else's hair? Other than that I look just like you guys." He asked sadly and looked to Kolivan with big watery 5-year-old eyes._

 _"Because," a voice from somewhere else responded. As soon as Keith heard it he smiled. "You are not the same as us." Thace smiled as he made his way over to Kolivan and Keith and sat with enough room for Keith to get off of Kolivan's lap and sit between the two of them. "You are a special Blade."_

 _"Does that mean that I can't wear my hair like you guys?" He looked between the two of them with wide eyes and his lip quivering slightly._

 _"No, you can wear your hair however you want." Thace laughed. "Why are you so worried about your hair?"_

 _"Because I want to be like you guys when I grow up." He said like it was something to be proud of. Kolivan laughed and Thace just smiled slightly._

 _"If that's so," Kolivan began, "Then how are you going to wear your hair? Our hair styles are very different, Keith."_

 _Keith looked between the both of them and seemed to concentrate very hard. "I like them both." Thace sighed and put his hand on top of Keith's head in between his ears and rubbed at his scalp._

 _"You can't have both at the same time, silly." He said._

 _"How about this Keith," Kolivan grabbed his attention, "Thace and I will choose a hair style for you and then you will tell us if you like it, and it can be your own."_

 _"But I want to look like you guys…" Keith looked between the two of them and gripped at either of their hands._

 _"I think that you should look like you." Thace said. "I think that you should strive to be the best version of yourself that you can be, and you can't do that if you are trying to be someone else." Thace smiled and tugged gently at his hair. "Besides, if Kolivan and I both cut your hair then it will be like a bit of each of us is in the style. Is that okay?"_

 _Keith looked at him with his big yellow eyes that were layered with a slightly darker yellow in the center. It was unusual for a Galran child, but not impossible for this to happen. With eyes like his though, he could get anything from the only Galran parents he had ever known._

 _He nodded his head vigorously and squeezed at the hands he refused to let go of. They squeezed back reassuringly._

Keith smiled softly at the memory. He would get back to his family, and he would get these people to help the Blade. He had to keep his family safe.

Keith turned back to the group that was waiting in the threshold of the doorway. Lance was looking at him with narrowed eyes. Well, he was looking at his hair with narrowed eyes and what appeared to be rosy cheeks. It may have just been a side effect of his human eyes.

"I guess that I'll just change into some clothes and you guys can finish showing me around." He said and they all nodded, leaving to give his some privacy.

Keith let out a sigh and grabbed the stuff from the bed and put as much as he could in the right side of the wardrobe. All of the other clothes were on the left side. He pulled out a dark gray t-shirt that looked like it might fit him and some long black pants. He quickly tugged off his clunky Galran boots and under suit and changed into the severely more comfortable clothes.

He looked at his shoes and decide that he wanted to find a more light weight pair. In the wardrobe there was a pair of red, black, and white boots hidden in the back corner. They were the only pair that looked like they would fit his feet. As he pulled them up he saw something else that was folded beneath the shoes. It was a red jacket.

"Why not." He muttered to himself as he pulled it up. It looked like it was cropped. He put it on and grabbed his belt and sheath. He thought about whether or not he should bring his sword.

Allura's menacing gaze filled his mind and he quickly put the sheath down and put on his belt.

When Keith walked out into the hallway the conversation that he had heard muffled through the wall the entire time halted and four sets of eyes met his.

There was a new face standing in the group.

"Ah, Keith. This is Shiro, Shiro this is Keith." Pidge introduced the two of them.

Keith's heart rate began to gain speed as he took in the man's appearance. A long scar ran horizontal across his face and a shock of white hair drooped into his eyes. The rest of his hair was black.

It couldn't be. There wasn't- it was imposs-

As Keith looked to his right arm he knew that it was true though. Druid construction. There was only one person that this could be.

Takashi Shirogane. He hadn't recognized the name Shiro, but he understood why his friends called him that. A simple abbreviation was all it took to get him off guard.

This was the person that Ulaz had put all of his faith in only for said person to up and disappear. Ever since Ulaz has become reckless and only worried about finding _him_.

And here he was.

 **...**

 **Okay guys, sorry about the iffy ending but that's how my brain decided that shit went down.**

 **Anyways I'm thinking that most of Keith's background will be told through his memories like earlier in the chapter. I have a lot more planned in for that- I just love the Blade of Marmora characters! Honestly 90% was just so that I could write about Thace and the other Blades raising Keith. (Thace is Keith's favorite)**

 **Oh, and pretty much the entire Blade raises him. Like the saying goes, 'It takes a village to raise a child' or something along those lines.**

 **Thank you guys for reading and commenting! It makes me so happy!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Keith stood absolutely still for a moment trying to process what he should do next. Shiro surely remembered being rescued right? Well, the shock and every other trauma he may have experienced escaping may have altered his memory a bit, but he had to have remembered _something_.

He had disappeared for over a month and most of the Blade believed that he had died escaping once Ulaz left him to get out on his own. Ulaz had been very adamant about it the entire time, claiming that Shiro was stronger than the others and would help them. That Shiro was calculating and strong and always found a way to defeat all of the Druid beasts Haggar sent after him, and live to tell the tale. It was a skill many of the Blade members lacked. The Beasts were cunning and overpowered.

But Takashi Shirogane always found a way to win.

That was all Ulaz had needed to believe that Takashi would be their savior.

 _Ulaz's daughter had been on guard duty that morning along with five other Blades. They had been patrolling the temporary base that had been set up on the outskirts of a forgotten solar system that housed a few heavily forested planets._

 _Keith was only five._

 _Kolivan and Thace had been called out to investigate the area and see if it was even worth setting up a permanent base that would hopefully be able to house some members of the Blade who needed to hack into Galran databases without being disturbed. It was a tedious business and they needed a more stable environment to work in that wasn't in the ships or in galactic areas that screwed with the signals._

 _Keith had been begging them for weeks to take him on a mission with them. He had been expecting something with action and adventure. Neither Kolivan nor Thace wanted to take him anywhere, but due to his constant prodding he managed to worm his way into this mission._

 _He had been exploring the base on his own at the time; the others scouted the planet's immediate surroundings. He had made it into the canteen and was trying to convince the heavily armed 'lunch lady' to make him a snack when he heard the first sounds of gunfire. It cracked through the air and resonated in his bones._

 _The lady quickly scooped Keith up into her arms and pulled him behind the counter where she deposited him and told him to stay put._

 _Keith had thought to himself, "It's probably just practice shots." But was quickly told otherwise by the piercing screams of a nearby Blade. Keith's heart pounded loudly and he peeked his head over the counter to try to see what was going on. There was only a small doorway that he could see out of, but it was more than enough for him catch a glimpse of the situation._

 _There was screaming now coming from all directions as Blade members poured out of the buildings to the front of the camp. Swords and guns were drawn equally and all were being used with deadly precision._

 _Or at least, what should have been deadly precision._

 _The monster that everyone was fighting was at least thirty feet tall and glowing purple. It was shaped like a spider; with multiple legs and a few sets of glowing eyes. And on its back was what looked like a larger version of the Blade's blaster guns._

 _Every shot that the soldiers shot and every slice the soldiers made had hardly any effect. They bounced off harmlessly and sometimes ricocheted back at them, causing entire offensive lines to drop to the ground. The spider simply stomped around, crushing Blades beneath its feet as if they were bugs to be squashed._

 _The Blade was losing and the spider hadn't even uses the enormous gun fused into its back. All Keith could do was watch as all of his friends-_ family _\- died in the wake of this massive creature._

 _Keith ducked back down behind the counter and pushed himself into a nook to hide. The stomping came closer but he just closed his eyes and tried not to breathe too loudly._

 _The spider sounded like it was just outside of the doorway now, Keith cowered further into his hiding place. Suddenly there was a hand on his arm, pulling him out. Keith screamed and his eyes shot open. He was about to lash out at the unknown attacked but recognized her before he could do any harm._

 _"Shella told me you were in here. We need to go now." She said. Her hair was cut short and choppy and it fell into her eyes when she looked down. This was Ulaz's daughter._

 _Keith nodded and clung to her hand fiercely as she led them out the back door away from the fighting._

 _"Once everyone is clear we can use the big guns and grenades. It will be okay." She said. Keith couldn't tell if she was trying to convince him or herself. They had just gotten through the doors of the canteen when a terrible squealing sound rippled through the air followed by a horrendous explosion that shook the floor and forced them to the ground. The buildings around them groaned and bent but steadied once the shaking stopped._

 _Keith was so afraid that he was crying. He was going to die._

 _"Come on, Keith," she grit through clenched teeth and pulled herself up. Keith saw something blossoming on her side but she turned away before he could figure out what it was and hauled him to his feet._

 _They pushed through two more buildings before Ulaz's daughter deemed it safe enough for Keith. She turned to him and told him, "Now you stay in this sector and don't come out unless the building starts collapsing. I have to go help the others." Keith cried out for her not to go, that he was afraid. Afraid that he would die here alone. She turned back to him and gripped him in a vise like hug. He tugged at the back of her shirt with his stubby toddler fingers as if it would make her stay and cried into her shoulder. "I'm afraid of that too." She whispered._

 _Keith's hands moved further as she stood up and they brushed over a thick damp spot with some object protruding from the middle of it on her uniform. She tried to hide the cringe but Keith could feel her tense up._

 _"We all have to face death, Keith. And sometimes we dance with it long enough for it to forget why it came in the first place, but I've never been a very good dancer, Keith." She smiled sadly and kissed his forehead before turning away quickly to prevent Keith from seeing her cry. She left as fast as her injury would allow._

 _Keith had never really gotten to know Ulaz's daughter very well, but she was almost like a distant big sister who would sometimes bring him a snack before dinner or show him how to do things that might have gotten them into trouble had their parents found out. There weren't many young Blades around, so they had to stick together, right? He was close enough to feel as if a small part of himself was lost in her when she left him in the hallway and ran out to her last battle._

 _Keith sprinted over to a window to watch the chaos unfold from two sectors away. There were bodies everywhere. Blood, burn marks, crumbling and toppling buildings. The peaceful camp he had been in not twenty minutes ago was gone and replaced heartlessly with a raging war zone._

 _He searched the patches of fighting Blade members for Ulaz's daughter. He spotted her away from the others clutching her side as she ran full speed at the monster. Keith watched in horror as the monster's giant gun began to pulsate and glow, the high keening noise from earlier permeating the air._

 _She kept running._

 _The monster was seconds from firing when he saw her jump up and grab onto one of its legs, with a speed he had never before seen she scaled the monster and was holding onto its torso. There was a small movement on her part as she pushed her arm in front of the barrel of the gun and then a distinct violet explosion took out the both of them. The violet of a Blade grenade._

 _"Jestice!" He screamed her name._

 _…_

 _After her funeral Keith told himself that he would do whatever he could to protect the rest of his family from Zarkon and his druids._

 _…_

 _Ulaz took the death of his only daughter hard. He became distant and unresponsive for quite some time, but the Blade needed him. Kolivan assigned him a watcher's job. Ulaz followed the order blindly and recklessly moved about the Galran base._

 _He made some dangerous choices in the time that he was there._

 _Kolivan had been about to resign him for the safety of the Blade, when Ulaz witnessed Takashi's first fight._

 _That was when everything changed._

 _He found hope, and told the others just as much. Before the Blade could consult with him he was freeing Shiro._

 _Kolivan had been furious and recalled him back to headquarters where he was to run the intelligence central, away from all other Galran soldiers._

 _Ever since he had been searching for Shiro._

"You're Takashi Shirogane?" Keith asked, even though he knew the answer.

Shiro narrowed his eyes at him and his face donned an uneasy expression as his brows drew together and his mouth drew into a tight line.

"Yes… did one of them tell you my whole name?" He gestured to Pidge, Hunk, and Lance. Keith swallowed. His voice was so commanding and demanded respect, without even trying.

"No. You are known by the Blade of Marmora." Keith answered, almost nervously. He took a breath and got a hold of himself. "Some among the Blade believe that you will be the one to lead us to victory against Zarkon."

Shiro seemed taken aback by this, while the others just seemed confused as Keith threw the information in their faces.

"But… Okay, _Keith_ , I don't even know who the Blade of Marmora is. Have you been watching me?" He took a step closer and the height difference between them became more pronounced.

"No. The day you escaped… It was with the Blade's help." Keith answered as strongly as he could, making it appear as if he wasn't frightened by this legend of a man.

"The day…" Shiro took a step back and Keith let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "The day…" Keith saw something flash in his eyes as Shiro grimaced and brought a hand to his head.

"Ulaz. He was the one that helped you escape. He gave you a chip that would help you get back in contact with us if you survived." Keith said, hoping that he was jogging his memory. Shiro looked to his druid arm as if suddenly remembering what it held.

"I remember." He whispered.

The others looked utterly confused as they look to each other for answers. Lance looked to Keith though. Shiro seemed to realize the confusion the others were feeling and turned to them.

"I guess that we have a valid reason to trust him now. That is, as long as he is how he says he is. Ulaz helped me escape that day that I got back to earth. It's a long story, but I wouldn't have been able to do it without him." Shiro glanced at Keith. "So, does that mean that you can get in touch with Ulaz and lead us to the Blade?"

Keith shook his head. "Allura said that comms were down and it's pretty difficult to get in touch without being close by or having a direct or isolated line of communication. I don't even know where we are right now, so it might be easier if we examined the chip Ulaz gave you."

Shiro looked at pidge. "Do you think you could run a diagnostic on my arm and find the chip?"

Pidge looked uncertain. "I can try, but it _is_ druid tech, some it might take some time."

"We will have plenty of that while the castle gets back in order." Lance said from the side.

"Well, I guess we should get started then. It's not like I had anything better to do." She said sarcastically.

"You guys were giving Keith the tour?" Shiro asked. They nodded. "Go ahead and finish up. Pidge and I will get started in the tech room. You can meet us there after." With that Shiro turned and started down the hall. Pidge waved goodbye before following after him, saying something about needing to get her gear.

Keith caught Lance's eye and said, "Well, I guess we should get going."

…

Nothing really caught his eye as he toured around. Nothing except the training room, which was huge. Keith could already tell that if he was going to be here for a while that he would be spending much of that while in here.

After the tour they went to the tech room like Shiro had asked them. Pidge told them that it was going to take at least another twenty minutes. They sat in an awkward circle around Shiro and prepared themselves to wait it out, but those plans were dashed a mere two minutes in.

"Paladin's! Get to your lions! There is a battle ship pursuing us!" Allura's voice crackled over the speakers. The three paladins that he lions look to each other with wide, fearful eyes. Keith could tell that they had never faced something so monstrous.

"Let's go!" Shiro's voice broke them out of their trance. They looked at him doubtfully but nodded anyways and headed off. Shiro looked to Keith, he had his druid arm hooked up to a large computer.

"Help me lug this thing to the command room." He commanded. Keith nodded and got on the other side.

 **...**

 **Hey guys! So if you think that I should format the flashbacks differently tell me!**

 **Thanks you guys!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It took the two of them five minutes to get to the command room with the computer between them. Allura was there waiting with another man that Keith had never seen before. When Allura saw Keith she frowned but said nothing, instead she addressed Shiro.

"What is that? You should have been here three minutes ago, the paladins just launched." A large screen before her showed a few different views. Three of them showed the one of each Paladins faces. They all wore helmets and seemed to be in a space craft of some kind. The other one was the largest and it showed a magnified view of what Keith could see out of the 'window' before him. It showed a huge Galran ship steadily approaching.

"I'm sorry, I'll explain later. For now just get me a communication line with the others."

"Already done." The man beside Allura said cheerfully. He had the odd marks on his cheeks just like Allura and assumed that he was the same species as her. Shiro gestured to a chair and they both brought the computer over to it. Shiro sunk down and tapped the screen before him and addressed the others.

"Okay guys, I know that we haven't faced anything like this before, but don't let that scare you. We can do this." Shiro said calmly. The Paladins visibly relaxed, even if it was only a little.

"Why can't we just, you know, teleport out of here?" Hunk asked quickly.

"The teludav needs to be fixed just like most of the castle. I may be able to get it up and running if I had some help." The man Keith didn't know spoke up.

Allura looked thoughtfully at the man before turning to Keith. "You. You can help Coran, it shouldn't be too hard. Just do what he tells you." She turned to Coran. "Hurry." Her voice wavered, that was how Keith knew that she was just as worried as the others.

Keith looked at the screens holding the paladin's nervous faces one more time. Hunk looked extremely tense, his mouth in a tight line and his eyes darting rapidly over the giant ship before him. Pidge kept licking and biting her lips as she rubbed over the controls of her lion. Keith's eye were caught on Lance though. Despite the great danger that all of them were in and the fear from the others he was smirking. Smirking! Like some dumbass who wasn't afraid of the imminent death glaring right at him.

"Alright then, you guys need to hurry. We'll hold down the fort out here." Lance said and looked down at his screen, directly at Keith as he addressed him. Keith had forgotten that he could see him and quickly turned to Coran in fear that he had been caught staring.

"Come on then Keith, let's put those arms to work!" Coran said and walked past him. Keith followed. A few unrecognizable, twisting hallways later they arrived.

The room they were in was windowless and cluttered with technology. At the far wall there was a gaping hole that held a multitude of well-organized blue disks, many of which were cracked and shattering.

"I need you to help me get the computers up and running again. The scaltrite should be able to handle at least one more jump." Coran addressed him.

"Um… well, I'm not too great with technology…" Keith trailed off as he glanced around at all of the complex looking machines. He had never been able to figure out the Blade's technology and he grew up around it. He had never seen any of these things a day in his life.

"That's fine! I just need you to be a second set of hands." Coran typed away rapidly at a computer and didn't even look in Keith's direction. "Hand me that plaquiatode over there." Coran pointed in a general direction and then headed the opposite way to a different system.

Keith had no clue what the man was talking about so he just grabbed some of the loose objects around where he had been pointing. Coran grabbed a long rock-like tool from his arms when he got to where he was working. Taking it and raising it over his head he pounded it down on the system beside the computer, which glowed slightly and began to bend into an odd shape. Coran hummed his approval and moved on to the next thing, not watching the latter finish reshaping.

It was right before he reached the next computer that the ship canted to the side and the both of them were thrown off balance. Both of them were tossed to the floor and random objects fell with them.

"Quiznak!" Coran shouted as he scrambled back up and got back to work on the computer. As soon as he finished a screen popped up depicting Allura, with Shiro in the background. Red flashes were going off and a quiet yet persistent siren was sounding throughout the entire castle, making Keith's ears flatten against his head uncomfortably.

"Coran! How much longer until we can wormhole!?" Allura shouted as the ship canted to the side again and everyone was jarred to the left. "The particle barrier is almost depleted and the Paladins are in rough shape." She said rapidly as she tried to right herself again.

"Sorry Princess! I need to get at least five more systems running and our resident techy is out fighting! I'll need at least ten more minutes!" Coran peered over to explain while he worked.

"I don't know if the Paladins have five more minutes." Allura said somberly.

"Paladins, evasive maneuvers! Draw the fire away from the castle!" Shiro was shouting orders as he scanned his screen and made plans. "Lance! Move! The Particle cannon!" He practically screamed.

A blast louder than the earlier space warfare held sounded out and rocked the ship more violently than earlier. A new siren joined the other and red flashes joined the two of them in the Teludav room.

"Paladins! The Particle barrier is down! You have to destroy their Particle cannon!" Shiro shouted in the background.

"Keith! Take this plaquiatode and hit each of those damaged systems in their grained stems." He gestured to some machines. "Once you finish I should be done with this system and we will be ready to wormhole." Keith took the plaquiatode and hurried over to the systems.

A few of them looked like they were melting, like the one that Coran had hit originally. He didn't really know what a grained stem was but he just hit the things where they looked the most melted.

Six smashes later he jogged back over to Coran who was finishing up. Keith unconsciously put his hands over his ears to try to block out the noise from all around.

"Alright my boy!" Coran shouted over the din. "We are ready!" He shouted over to the screen that hadn't gone away in all the time they worked. Shiro and Allura heard and got to work.

"Paladins! Back to the castle!" The works came out of Shiro's mouth, but they seemed to get lost in the next blast on the castle. The lights flickered out around Coran and Keith and the screen that held Allura and Shiro flickered out with them.

"Quiznak!" Coran shouted from beside Keith. Keith was confused for a moment on why he couldn't see, but then he remembered his human eyes functioned quite poorly in the dark. With a slight bit of effort he morphed them back to his Galran eyes and took in his surroundings. Coran was fumbling around trying to find something. Everything else seemed to be where they left it though.

"Coran stop!" He said as Coran began to stumble closer to the Teludav.

"Can you see me?" He asked. "Oh yes, the Galran part of you must be quite adapt at seeing in the dark!" He said and stood straight up, still looking around as if he could find see Keith.

"Yes, I can see you. You are about to-" Shaking took over the entire castle and cut him off. He steadied himself on a nearby table. He heard a scream, but before he could find Coran another, stronger tremor took hold.

A blue glow began to brighten the room. The Teludav. Keith searched the room with his eyes for Coran, but couldn't find him. The glow got brighter.

"Coran!" He shouted. There was no response.

He had been heading in the direction of the Teludav, he would have to search there. He sprinted over and the glow got stronger. A high pitched noise came with it.

He got the entrance of the Teludav and peered in. Coran was lying on his side in the middle of it, on top of the blue disks. He assumed that this was probably not good.

Carefully but still as quickly as he could go he made his way to Coran. He must have hit his head and passed out on the disks.

The noise was getting very loud and the glow was beginning to get too bright. He switched back to his human eyes as he picked up Coran. He lugged him back, pulling him by hooking his arms under his armpits. His feet clunked loudly on the disks until he finally managed to pull him out. The noise was reaching a pitch that even Keith couldn't hear and he had to avert his eyes from the glow.

Something was wrong. There was no way that they just left this much power open to the other part of the room. There had to be a door or something that was shut before it went off. Coran would know, but he was unconscious.

There had to be something close by. He checked the walls. There was a panel beside the opening. He tried pushing it. Nothing.

Whether it was the fact that they had no power or the fact that he wasn't whatever species Coran was, he didn't know. But if he didn't figure out within a few seconds they were going to be burned to a crisp.

On a whim Keith picked up Coran in the same manner and pulled him closer to the panel. Just as he pulled his hand up and placed it on the scanner Blue rays began shooting around in the Teludav. There was a surge of power and the lights flickered around them. The panel beeped at Coran's hand and the doors began to close. The blue rays bounced of the door back into the Teludav.

Keith didn't realize that he had been screaming until the silence made room for it. Keith shut his mouth and looked around, embarrassed, to see if anyone else had heard. No one else was in the room.

The lights stopped flickering and sputtered off. Back to Galran eyes he tried to decide what to do. If he brought Coran back knocked out they would probably blame him. If he didn't come back with Coran they would undoubtedly blame him. If he didn't go back at all they would come to him.

It was a lose-lose-lose situation.

He sighed. He might as well bring him on up and tell his own side of the story. He might have a chance with that. He stood for a moment trying to decide how he was going to pick up the man. He wasn't exactly the easiest thing to move.

After a moment he decided. He hoisted Coran over his shoulders and made his way out of the dark room. Coran's weight was well dispersed this way and Keith was able to carry him without too many problems.

After he passed through a few corridors he could see lights. All of them were on closer to the control room. The castle's lights must have only gone out in the Teludav room.

Keith pushed Coran up a little higher on his shoulders to keep him from slipping. He was only one hallway away when he heard shouting.

"I _must_ check on Coran at once! Shiro let me go!" Allura's voice rang out. There were sounds of a struggle coming from within.

"Allura, you just made a jump. You do not have the energy to run around like that." Shiro's voice was calm yet firm.

"But that _Halfling_ could have done something when we lost contact! It isn't safe for Coran!" Allura shouted. Keith cringed at the slur. He had heard it before. Many times, and yet it still hurt every time he heard it. It was as if he wasn't valid to either side. He was always one or the other and it was always the negative side people choose to dwell on.

"Allura no. It's not safe for you either." Shiro's voice was beginning to get short and aggravated.

"He is all I have left." She whispered. Keith still heard it.

That was enough. It was time for him to reveal himself. If he listened any longer he would only hear more that was not meant for him.

"Allura." Keith said as he walked through the doorway. He might as well start explaining before she could make her own conclusions. "Coran fell and knocked himself out on the Teludav when the power went out. He should be fine-"

"See Shiro! He did this!" She shouted and then tried to run at him. Shiro grabbed her arms and held her back.

"Allura, you know how clumsy Coran is. The story is likely." He tried to reason with her. Keith took this opportunity to place Coran as carefully as he could into the chair opposite of Shiro.

"Coran- He needs- The healing pods-" with each word she struggled, but she was weak and quickly burning out.

Keith backed away from Coran. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to leave or even move. He didn't know how staying would help either.

"Are we safe?" A new voice joined the group. It was Hunk. Behind Hunk Lance and Pidge were holding their helmets at their sides, bickering.

"I would have been okay. The blast wouldn't have gotten me. You should have just let me handle it instead of shoving me out of the way." Lance whined.

"Lance, a Particle cannon blast would have killed you, I saved your ass." Pidge retorted.

"Language." Shiro said in a dad-like voice. It drew the group's attention to the others in the room.

They must have seen a wild situation. Allura struggling to keep her eyes open and Shiro practically cradling her in his arms. Coran passed out in a chair and Keith standing awkwardly nearby, Galra eyes shining as he tried to avoid eye contact with everyone.

"Um, guys?" Hunk asked carefully.

"Allura managed to worm hole us many galaxies away. We should be safe for now, but the castle is in worse shape than before." Shiro answered as objectively as he could.

"Is Coran okay?" Lance asked and walked over to where Keith stood. He sounded legitimately worried, but when Lance saw Keith's eyes his mouth opened and he gawked at him. "Woah, your eyes have two layers. I've never seen a Galra with eyes as cool as that."

Keith frowned, un-used to the attention. "Coran hit his head on the Teludav before we launched and knocked himself out. The power went out and he fell in when a blast hit. I had to pull him out before we worm holed." Keith changed the subject and defended himself once again.

"Oh. He is pretty clumsy." He said quietly. When he looked down at Coran Keith got a glimpse of a thick trail of blood running down the side of Lance's face. He took a moment to take in the Paladins, all of them looked worse for wear and extremely tired with dark circles under their eyes and their lids drooping.

"You guys should probably get some-" Keith was cut off.

"Close the Teludav!" Coran shouted and sprung up from his seat. Everyone jumped and Allura's eyes shot open. Coran looked around, confused, before his eyes settled on Keith. "Oh thank goodness, my boy. I thought we were done for. I guess that you managed to close the Teludav?" Coran placed a hand on his shoulder and waited for a response.

"Uh, yeah." Keith answered uneasily.

"Whew! When I tripped over that darn plaquiatode I thought for sure everything would go to-"

"Coran!" Allura interrupted, shaken from her stupor by Coran's whimsical voice. Shiro released her as she went to him. She swayed slightly on the way over but managed to get to him without falling.

"Princess?" Allura swung her arms around him and Coran hesitantly put his own arms around her shoulders. "Is everything alright?"

"I thought that you got hurt." She whispered into his shoulder.

"Why, I probably would have if Keith hadn't saved me. I am much more worried about you princess." Coran pushed her off gently and held her at arm's length to get a look at her. "You over exerted yourself again didn't you?"

Allura looked away and said nothing.

"Off to bed with you. All of you." Coran said. "It was a rough fight, but we are okay. I will begin repairs immediately. Everyone else should clean up and dress your wounds. If they are bad then use a pod." He began to usher Allura out of the room. The other Paladins followed, complaining about food and soreness.

All of them except Lance. Lance was still standing beside Keith, looking at him as if he had just saved the world.

"Did you really save Coran?"

"Yes, of course I did. Why would I make that up?" Keith said defensively.

"Thank you then." Lance said as he placed a hand on Keith's shoulder in a friendly way. What was it with this crew and touching him? Lance was about to move away when he began to sway and his eyes became half lidded.

Keith grabbed him before he could fall and hoisted him back onto his feet.

"Lance, you need to take care of your wounds." Keith scolded.

"I want to make sure that Hunk and Pidge get themselves cleaned up first. Want to make sure they end up okay since I got them in trouble a couple times." Lance answered as he forced his eyes open and his legs to work.

"Well, I think that you are being stupid. Tell me how to get to the infirmary." Keith pushed.

"No. I'll be okay. Just wait." Lance sunk down into Shiro's chair, unable to keep himself upright. "Trust me. I'll be okay." It was the most coherent sentence he had made in the last minute. The adrenaline in his veins was wearing off and the battle was catching up with him.

"Come on Lance-" Keith persisted. He tried to reach Lance's side, but stumbled over something beside the chair. He looked down to find Pidge's computer laying there with wires hanging out. Shiro must have unplugged himself earlier.

But that wasn't what was important right now.

"You Dumbass." Keith muttered. Before Lance could do anything Keith hoisted him out of the chair bridal style.

"Hey! Put me down!" Lance kicked at him weakly.

"No, tell me where the infirmary is." Keith glared at him. Lance glared back.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"I am not going to put you down until we are in the infirmary so hurry up and tell me before someone walks in and thinks I'm trying to kill you!" Keith shouted back, fed up with Lance's antics.

There was a moment of recognition in his eyes, which were colorless at the moment from Keith's point of view. Keith let his human eyes take over and made note of the vibrant blue of Lance's eyes.

"Fine." Lance said.

 _Fine_. Keith thought.

 **...**

 **Thank you everyone who reads and comments and everything! You guys make my day :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Lance gave out directions lazily, but still accurately. He made Keith put him down about half way there, but ended up leaning heavily on him the whole time. When they finally entered the large round room with strange circles in the middle of the floor Pidge and Hunk were already down to the skin tight black suits under their armor.

"You look rough Lance." Pidge said as she began to take off the top of the black suit. Keith averted his eyes out of politeness and helped bring Lance over to the side of the room where the other Paladins were standing. There were tables and shelves full of small bottles and gauze and space-band aids that looked like they were pulled right out of the wall.

Lance stuck his tongue out at Pidge and didn't bother looking away. "You can look at her Keith." He said loud enough for Pidge to hear. Keith directed him closer to the table and didn't respond as Lance sat heavily on it.

"Yeah, I'm wearing a sports bra. Don't worry about it dude. At least you're polite." She directed the end of her words over to Lance.

"Good lord Lance. Where is all of that blood coming from? I didn't see it earlier…" Hunk gestured to Lance's armor where blood was dripping from where he removed his helmet. Hunk seemed almost nauseous.

"That's because I wiped it off and covered it up." Lance muttered under his breath almost as if he was annoyed. None of the others heard. Well, of course no one but Keith.

"Let me see." Keith interrupted their banter. Lance was going to need this cleaned now.

Lance huffed out a complaint but said nothing. Keith turned Lance's head to the side with the wound gently, pushing his chin to the left and scanning his messy brown hair for the source of the bleeding. About six centimeters above his right ear was a long horizontal gash which ran from the edge of his hair line to just past his ear. There was crusted blood dried in his hair along with a line of free flowing blood. Keith couldn't be sure how deep the cut was exactly but it was pretty bad.

"How did you even get this? You're going to need stitches and with how much blood you lost I'm surprised that you're even conscious right now."

"Oh my god." He heard Pidge gasp from somewhere behind him. He glanced over out of instinct. She was standing with one hand over her mouth, the top half of her suit hanging on her hips and dark green sports bra covering what needed to be covered. On the shoulder of the arm hanging by her side was a large black and blue bruise that ran down the length of her arm.

"It was from when I pushed you out of the Particle cannon's radius wasn't it." She said quietly, her voice shaking.

Pidge didn't strike Keith as the kind of person who would cry at any given point. Or even show any kind of weakness at that. Seeing Lance like this and assigning herself the blame was affecting her very strongly, and not in a good way.

Lance cast Keith a dirty look and suddenly Keith understood why he had wanted to wait.

"It wasn't your fault Pidge." Lance tried to calm her.

"Yes it is, I remember. You took you helmet off for a second because the voices were breaking up and you couldn't handle how loud it was. You took it off and got distracted and almost got hit by the cannon." She took a breath and forced the unshed tears in her eyes down. Hunk stood beside her awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"It wasn't your fault. I should have kept the helmet on." Lance said slowly. He was beginning to run out of steam again and if they didn't wrap up this conversation soon he was going to pass out.

"I pushed you out of the way as best I could." She whispered.

"And you saved me. You know," Lance gestured to her shoulder. "I think we're even. Bet that hurts like a bitch."

Pidge sniffled and smiled. She rubbed her eyes and gave Lance a quick hug before backing up. "Sometimes you just really remind me of my brother. And I really couldn't imagine losing you," she looked over at Hunk and even spared a glance at Keith. "Or anyone else on the team. It would be like I lost my family all over again." She said, then changed the subject, sobering up. "Guess I'm just a little emotionally stretched right now guys." She laughed and the others smiled at her. She locked eyes with Lance.

"You might as well use a pod. Unless you want to sit through like," She scrutinized the wound. "15 stitches." At those words Keith heard Hunk shudder and go back to dressing and rubbing at his own bruises, which seemed much less abundant compared to the other two paladins.

"Yeah, no. Pod please." Lance's eyes were drooping and he had to keep yanking them open, only for them to flutter shut again a moment later. "You know I've got a real killer headache." He slurred.

"Keith, I'll show you how to use one of the Healing pods." Pidge pulled him away from Lance who laid down on the table. He was about to protest that someone should really watch that idiot when Hunk moved closer to the blue Paladin and began to talk to him, telling him that if he wanted to get in the pod that he would need to take his armor off. Lance let out a low whine that made Keith's ears flatten but sat back up.

"Okay then." He muttered and followed Pidge to the center of the room. There was what seemed to be a control panel of some kind and when Pidge began typing away Keith knew that he would never figure out how to function one of these without outside help.

"Alright, so you just enter the injury type here in Altean, but all you really need to do is look at the pictures provided. Altean anatomy is pretty close to Humans. Then you hit this button here and a pod will come up ready to go." Pidge pushed the button and one of the circles on the floor rose up and produced a pod that would fit on person standing up.

"Altean?" Keith asked. It sounded familiar for some reason but he couldn't quite remember why.

"That's the species the Princess and Coran are. This is their castle… Well… The King's castle, but we don't talk about him." Pidge trailed off.

Keith remembered a brief history lesson from the Blade on Alteans.

 _"Alteans once helped Zarkon. The two groups worked together in harmony. But Zarkon ended up betraying them and destroying their entire race long long ago." The teacher had droned on._

 _Keith tried to pay attention to the lesson, but the student behind him kept kicking his chair. When he had signed up for a more advanced class in the higher levels he had expected a higher maturity set than 5 years of age, but all of his 12 year old peers showed him otherwise._

 _"Psst. Halfy!" The boy beside him whispered. The teacher either didn't notice or didn't care that others were speaking while she was. Keith tried to ignore him and pay attention._

 _"Halfy!" The boy whispered again. This time, however, it was accompanied by a ball of paper being thrown into his face. It bounced off and landed on his desk. It was harmless. But it had great consequences._

 _Keith took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Despite his better judgement he began to uncrumple the ball._

 _On it was a crudely draw picture of a boy with no ears, long stringy hair, black holes for eyes, dull teeth, and no skin tone despite the rest of the picture having bits of color._

 _The word 'TRASH' was written in bold letters at the bottom and other mean things danced around the edges. The word 'Halfling' showed up many times._

 _He glanced up after looking at it for quite a while and noticed that most of the class was also looking at him. They all had slightly different emotions on their faces, but all of them resembled some type of mirth. He peered back down at the paper and noticed that every word written had different nuances. Practically everyone must have 'signed' it with one bad word or another._

 _He felt anger rising up in his stomach. It was burning its way up his throat and threatening to spill out. The paper ripped in his hands and he looked down at it. He turned his anger to it. He ripped it in half again and again and again-_

 _"Keith stop that! Why are you not paying attention! And wasting paper like that!" The teacher called him out. The class around him muttered words of agreeance to hide their giggles of amusement. The anger that had been boiling on the surface finally came through._

 _He screamed, "Shut up!" It was mostly at the students who were still laughing and giggling and making fun of him. It didn't matter that they did it quietly, he could still hear them. He stood up in his desk, his chair falling over behind him. He wanted to leave. "Shut up!" He shouted again and screwed his eyes shut._

 _"Awe! Halfy doesn't know how to control his hearing!" The boy snickered. He was the initiator. "So sad. Always listening in on everyone's conversations. Getting us in trouble." He growled out._

 _The voices were so loud. There were so many of them. They were everywhere. Behind him, in front of him, on top of him, in his bones._

 _Keith covered his ears and tried to calm down. The anger made it louder, it fueled it._

 _"Not everyone can be the teacher's favorite like you." The boy had stood up and was standing beside Keith. The other students were crowding around them, forcing the teacher out of the equation._

 _"Not everyone can be adopted by the Leader of the entire Blade." The boy pushed him. Keith stumbled, his hands falling from his ears but his eyes still screwed shut._

 _Ignore him. Push the anger away. Ignore him Ignore him Ignore him Ignore-_

 _"Not all of us can get their grades handed to them. Cheated points given to them." He pushed Keith again, harder this time. Keith stumbled closer to the door. Closer to the other side of the ring of students._

 _"So what's it gonna be_ Halfy. _" The boy slurred._

 _Everything snapped._

 _Keith had worked so hard to get where he was. He studied day in and out. He paid attention in class so that he would understand the concepts they learned. He turned in all of his work on time and took the most accurate neat notes anyone had ever seen. They assumed the teacher made notes for him._

 _He thought that being smart would get him places. Earn him friendships. He tried being nice and polite when he started. But that got him nowhere. Everyone already seemed to have it out for him. The teachers spoke highly of him. Saying things like, "Keith is a model student, you should be more like him." As if they were setting the group against him from the beginning, telling the others that they would never be better than Keith._

 _It didn't help that he was the son of Kolivan or that Thace was practically his second father as well. Kolivan the Leader of this whole thing and Thace, the best infiltrator the Blade had seen in decades. It just pitted them more against him. They thought that he used their influence to get things he wanted. To cheat his way into the higher classes. Their jealousy blinded them._

 _And then there was the worst part. The part that he couldn't control._

 _His hearing._

 _It had always been sensitive, but it was different from the others. The others could control what frequencies they listened in on. They could tune one out and another in to reduce the insane amounts of chatter that their ears could pick up._

 _Keith could not._

 _Thace suspected that it had something to do with his human side. Humans had alright hearing, but nothing nearly as precise or accurate as a Galra. They couldn't do much to tune in and out and they couldn't even hardly hear in the first place._

 _So Keith had to listen to everything. He couldn't turn it on and off. He was stuck. When he was home alone or with Thace or Kolivan or the others he trusted he would change into his human ears. Just to get some peace and quiet._

 _He did it in class once and a few of the students laughed. A few were horrified. And a great many were there to make fun of him. The word 'Halfling' making its first appearance and his name was suddenly no longer Keith. Halfy was the only thing the others were to call him now._

 _He never did it again._

 _So he kept his painfully sharp ears attentive and tried to focus on the teacher and the teacher alone._

 _Sometimes though, he would hear students talking, plotting. Pranks were frowned upon in the school and the ones that they had been planning had been particularly harmful. He ended up sabotaging them by consistently stealing the harder to get materials that they couldn't easily replace._

 _They eventually found out it was him. And he guesses that this was his punishment. The boy who had started all of this was the main conspirator._

 _He was tired of the scrutiny. The name calling. The isolation. The loneliness. It was making him go insane and this push was all he needed to fall into a mindless rage._

 _With a growl he pulled his fist back and smashed the boy's smug light-purple nose. There was a moment where all of the power behind the punch just pushed him back, but the boy wasn't moving fast enough because soon after there was a crack and Keith pulled his fist back._

 _The boy fell to the floor. His ears were flat and his pale yellow eyes were streaming tears as he whimpered. His clawed hands were covering his nose but Keith could see the blood running down his face and sticking to his fur._

 _Keith's fist was screaming at him, telling him that punching people like that wasn't worth it if they weren't soft enough to not break his fingers. He didn't care._

 _"Keith!" The teacher shrieked. Of course it would be his luck that the teacher would manage to break through the circle of students now, once all fingers pointed to him and his only evidence of the other's deception (the paper) had been ripped beyond recognition by none other than himself._

 _Of course._

 _Keith had been sent straight home, or back to his room on the ship, where his dad was waiting for him. Thace was there too, and neither of them had looked happy._

 _Keith refused to tell them about the name calling at first. He was afraid that they would agree with the students, that it was a valid reason to bully and isolate him. Deep down he knew that he was being stupid, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that anyone had actually cared about him at that point._

 _"Keith." Thace had said sternly. "Look at me." Keith looked up to his face. "Look me in the eyes." Keith forced himself to look up into Thace's soft yellow eyes. When he met them he could feel tears form in his own eyes. It was like all of the guilt and sadness washed away his anger and left only embarrassment for putting his Fathers in such a dishonorable position._

 _Before he could stop it he was sobbing. Kolivan, who was standing beside Thace, squatted down and wrapped him in his arms. Keith threw his arms around his neck and buried his face in his shoulder. Keith was still so small for his age that squatting was the only way his towering father could reach his level._

 _Thace was quick to join Kolivan. He stooped down and held onto both of them as Keith cried._

 _Keith ended up spilling everything then and there. Letting the entire story from start to finish tumble from his quivering lips as he tried to control himself._

 _"But you c-can't do anything. I have to solve the problem on my o-o-own." He was finished with his story and his eyes were dry, but the hitch in his breathing and occasional hiccup still plagued him._

 _The two Galra sat back and looked at Keith. He was only ten. Doing work that was two years more advanced than the average Galra. He was smart. He knew that they couldn't fix things for him because it would cause more trouble than it would fix._

 _"Well, punching the boy may not have been the best course of action. However-"_

 _"I know what you are going to say and I don't think you should encourage the boy." Kolivan cut Thace off. Thace smiled sheepishly. "Keith, you need to find a way to cope with bullies. To befriend people who wouldn't set out to be your friend in the first place. This is a good way for you to practice infiltration skills."_

 _"What?"_

 _"He is right actually. This could be the social side of your training. Try to become a part of something that doesn't want you." Thace finished for Kolivan._

 _Keith frowned._

 _"Maybe not the best choice of words Thace." Kolivan caught his eye and raised a brow before not so subtly gesturing to the still very vulnerable looking Keith. They had learned long ago that spelling thigs out wouldn't go over genius little Keith's head and that the obvious whispering was a big fat no. But, there was this thing that they did that Keith didn't quite understand. It was like they would talk with their eyes with voices only the two of them could hear._

 _Now was not one of those times though._

 _"Oh, yes." He cleared his throat and stood. "Well Keef." He said, slurring his name and making the boy smile. It was how the little boy had said his name for the longest time and every once in a while his dad would call him by that as a joke. "Why don't we go talk strategy in the dining hall?" Thace reached down before Keith could say anything else and perched him on his shoulders._

 _Kolivan laughed as Thace swayed a bit from the new weight but ultimately steadied himself. "Careful now. And Keith?"_

 _Keith hummed out that he was listening._

 _"You still will be punished for punching some kid in the face." Kolivan said. Keith sighed._

 _"Well if I wasn't then the kids would hate me even more." He whined._

 _"Exactly. Think of it as phase one of infiltration." Kolivan laughed._

"There you go Lance. We'll see you in an hour." Hunk said as he shut the healing pod. Keith looked around.

Pidge was back by the table, applying a goo to her bruises and wincing. Hunk was standing by a pod and Lance was standing in said pod.

Lance was wearing a completely different suit from earlier. He must have changed while Keith was zoned out. He was standing with his eyes closed and was perfectly still, almost as if he were asleep, or-

"Keith, I think we are good in here for now. Thanks for bringing Lance in. I know he's really stubborn and obnoxious sometimes but… Well he's pretty much family." Hunk said as he turned to him. Keith gave a small smile and nodded.

"Family is important." He said sadly. "I didn't get hurt, but I'm kind of tired. I think I'm gonna go to bed." Hunk nodded and said goodnight. Keith waved to Pidge on his way out and she waved back with her right arm, cringing as the pain reminded her that she was severely bruised. He wondered momentarily if he could say goodnight to Lance even though he was in a pod. He decided against it, afraid the others would tease him.

He got back to his room with no problems and pulled his boots off before he laid down on the bed, fully clothed. The only thing he did was tug his hair tie out before pulling his cell blanket over his shoulders and passing out.

 **...**

 **Wow, that monster got a bit out of hand. I wrote this all in one sitting and haven't really proof read, but oh well. The flash back wasn't even planned but I really like how it turned out so...**

 **Anyways, Thank you for the comments and reviews and love that you all gave this story, it brightens my life.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The morning, or simulated morning, was bright. Wisps of the dream he had had last night faded away until he could only remember the feelings that the dream had brought him. They had been pleasant.

Keith sat up and rolled his shoulders out, stretching. This bed was _so_ much more comfortable than the prison bed he had stayed in the first night. His clothes felt stiff from sleeping in them, but it wasn't anything uncomfortable. He contemplated taking a shower, but he didn't know where he could do that. He remembered Hunk showing him a bathroom on the tour, but he didn't remember where it was.

He got up. Maybe he could just wander around till he found it.

He stepped over to the wardrobe and riffled through it for a moment before finding a red lined towel. This would do. There were other clothes in there, but other than a gray shirt identical to the one he was wearing, they were all riddled with holes from what he assumed were from moths of some sort.

He would have to change back into the same clothes (Bar the shirt) but they weren't _that_ dirty so he didn't mind all that much. There was a small blood stain on the shoulder of his jacket from where lance had fallen on him, but the reds blended (almost) and he could wash it out whenever he found the shower.

He grabbed what he needed and headed out. He wandered for a few minutes all alone but found himself at the dead end of the medical wing. He was about fifty meters away when he caught the whisper of hushed voices. Curious, he followed them into the infirmary.

Maybe he could get one of them to give him directions. Or soap.

His ears twitched as the voices grew louder. He peeked his head into the door way and peered in to see what was going on. It seemed like the entire crew was gathered around a healing pod looking at whatever was inside.

"Come on, he should have been out like nine hours ago!" Pidge muttered impatiently.

"But we don't know if he was lying about his head being the only thing that got hurt. Coran, pull up the stats again." Hunk's words tumbled out in a jumble. He kept looking from the others to the pod like he would miss something if he looked away for too long.

 _'Was Lance still in the pod from last night?'_

Keith took another step forward.

"You saw them two minutes ago. I'm sure Lance will be fine, concussions and head wounds are always a bit more complicated and sometimes take much longer to heal. And if his body has been under extreme amounts of stress or been lacking sleep for a few days it makes the process slow to a crawl. It uses the energy the body already has in it to restore the other parts of it, in an exchange. If he doesn't have adequate amounts of energy it has to focus on restoring that too. Also-"

"Okay Coran, I think that's enough for now." Allura spoke up softly as she smiled gently at the man in question. "But I suppose he hasn't gotten much sleep since The Ha-," She cut herself off as if she was going to say something different before changing her mind before saying, "Keith. Since Keith got here."

"That idiot. He kept saying it was his fault and refused to let it go."

"He tortured himself for days over that. He was cracking terrible jokes the whole time. Ones that actually made since, but they were at his own expense." Hunk put a hand on the pod and sighed.

"He really needs to learn to convey his emotions in a more healthy way." Shiro said solemnly. The entire group nodded as one.

A sense of Déjà vu came over him and Keith felt as if he was overhearing things that he shouldn't again.

 _"If you ever want to learn to control it you're going to have to stop relaxing with your other ears." Thace had lectured him. It had been a few weeks after the 'incident' and Keith was trying his hardest to make things better, and they were. But he was still unable to control his hearing._

 _"But I everything is just so loud." He complained. He had been switching ears since he was a baby and he had never stopped, the places he went were just too much sometimes._

 _"No, you just listen to everything at once. Your human ears don't do that, so take that aspect and focus on that. Try to pull it into your Galra ears and block out everything else." Thace spoke slowly and calmly. Presently they were sitting on the floor of one of the training rooms in what Thace had called a 'meditation session' and Keith had been bored almost instantly, but he said nothing, as it would only annoy Thace. "Close your eyes and focus Keith." He persisted. Keith did as he said._

 _'Alright.' Keith thought. 'I can do this.'_

 _He and Thace did the meditations every day after Keith's classes and between Thace's duties for five days straight with no progress. Keith was beginning to get frustrated at this point. He tried everything. He focused. He cleared his mind, closed his eyes, and took deep breaths._

 _Nothing. Happened… Ever._

 _It was on the sixth day that he snapped. One off-hand comment about hearing from one of his classmates set him off and he screamed at them, disrupting class. He didn't punch anyone this time, but Thace was not happy. When he arrived at the training room that day Thace was standing at attention, holding a wooden staff and a dagger. A blade of Marmora._

 _"You need to learn to convey your emotions in a more healthy way. Your hearing can wait until you have more control over yourself. For now, Blade training begins." He tossed Keith the dagger. Keith knew that it was his mothers, but he hadn't been ready to unlock it yet. Kolivan and Thace had both agreed on that._

 _Keith got into a fighting stance. 'They must have changed their minds.'_

 _Although every Galra child had had combat training at some point in their lives, Keith especially, he had not been ready for the beat down that Thace gave him. He was holding back of course, but that didn't mean that he let Keith win._

 _"Focus. Block out the other things. Everything that keeps distracting you. Those noises. Block them out and focus on me Keith." Thace commanded, not even the slightest bit out of breath, despite Keith gasping for air and wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand._

 _He could hear the late class getting out and laughing as they passed down the hall._

 _He been at it for so long and he still hadn't landed a hit on Thace. His anger was boiling in his stomach as he slashed haphazardly at Thace with the blade. The attempt was almost pathetic._

 _A couple one floor up was having an argument._

 _Not knowing what else to do he charged forward with a cry of frustration and rage. Thace dodged easily and whacked Keith on the back of his head with the training staff._

 _"Ack!" Keith coughed and fell to the ground._

 _Dinner plates were clattering in the mess hall._

 _He growled and kicked at Thace's legs. Thace was caught slightly of guard and jumped out of the way of his kick at the last second._

 _"That would have been a good move if you had been_ focused. _" Thace stressed. Keith pulled himself to his feet and raised his dagger defensively. "Deep breath. Imagine your other ears. Take that feeling. Embrace it and transfer it to your Galra ears." His voice was hypnotic._

 _Keith breathed in deep through his nose and let out the air out through his mouth. He imagined the dull sounds of his Human ears. He imagined that he had gauze stuffed in his Galra ears and that he couldn't hear anything beyond this room. He focused on Thace._

 _He didn't land a single hit on him the entire practice, but he did get close. After Thace called the match Keith was bruised and battered, but he couldn't remember the last time he had felt this relaxed._

 _He also couldn't remember the last time that he couldn't hear dinner being made. His head snapped over to Thace._

 _"I can't hear anything from the mess hall! It worked!" Keith exclaimed, a face splitting smile on his face. Thace smiled back at him._

 _"Of course it did. I'm just that good." Keith rolled his eyes at Thace but the smile on his face didn't falter._

 _"Will I really get to unlock my Blade?"_

 _"Yes, but you are going to need at least a few months before you are even close to trained."_

 _"I don't care. It's working!" Keith looked at his blade._

 _"Ulaz has a present for you when we get back, and I'm sure that your dad would love to hear about how you did today." Thace gestured to the door and they walked out together back to their room together._

"Any tick now." Coran's voice pulled him from his stupor. Keith glanced at the group again before deciding that it was probably for the best that he didn't go in.

Allura hadn't been too happy with him earlier. And it wasn't like he was important to Lance or anyone in the group anyway. As soon as coms were back they would form an alliance and Keith would go back to the Blade where he would go back to doing infiltration missions. He would probably end up never speaking to them again, that was the communicator's business.

Why did that thought make his chest feel empty?

He took a breath to try to clear his head.

"Keith?" Pidge's voice rang in his head. She caught his gaze and held it. He felt immobilized by her huge, golden-eyed stare.

He should have left quicker.

"Yeah, I was just looking for the shower room." He avoided eye contact as the others turned their attention to Keith.

"Well-" Hunk was cut off by an annoying, repetitive beeping originating from the healing pod. Everyone's attention cut back to the pod and Keith found himself walking closer to see what was happing.

The pod beeped once more and swished open to reveal an upright Lance. His eyes fluttered open, the ocean color flooding the room. He yawned and stepped out.

"Man, that didn't feel like an hour." Lance commented before Hunk was crushing him in a hug and Pidge was crossing her arms and looking at him sternly. She was about to speak when Shiro beat her to the punch.

"That's because you don't know how to take care of yourself. Get some more sleep next time." Shiro placed his human hand on Lance's shoulder and only then did Hunk release him.

"Okay _dad_." He mocked, but he was smiling widely as he looked around at the others. Keith was slightly confused, was Shiro Lance's father? But he said nothing.

As Lance continued to survey the room his eyes fell upon Keith. He smiled a bit wider and turned back to the others. "Everyone came? Even Keith, I feel loved." He joked. The others rolled their eyes but were smiling. Lance raised his eyebrows and took this as a sign to continue. "I mean, I know I'm handsome but-"

Lance was cut off with a collection of groans.

"Every time."

"It never stops."

"Why."

As the others dispersed and went about their own ways Hunk lagged behind to talk to Keith. As Pidge passed by Keith she told him how to get to the shower room and informed him that there was soap there as well as other oddities that he may need.

"But dude seriously," Hunks voice climbed above the murmur of the others and caught Keith's attention before he could leave. "You need a shower, the pod may heal your injuries, but apparently not your body odor." Hunk sniffed and grimaced for good measure. Lance seemed horrified by this.

"Seriously?!" Lances sniffed under his own arms and grimaced himself. The scent of staleness and dried sweat and blood made its way over to Keith's nose. He crinkled it up in displeasure.

"Keith? You were going to the showers right?" Hunk asked turning to him again. Keith had thought that Hunk had forgotten he was there at all and was startled once again by his observantness.

"Um…"

"Yeah, you were! Lance can show you the way since he needs to go there anyway." Hunk said cheerfully. Lance narrowed his eyes at first but shrugged.

"Come on, I have to grab some clothes before we go." Lance said as he walked past Keith and said a brief "See you later" to Hunk. Even though he now knew how to get there on his own he decided to wait and take the small detour with Lance.

"So," Keith started before he could decide against it. "Are you Shiro's son?" His question seemed to take Lance off guard as he sputtered and stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"What!" Lance shouted. Feeling a bit stupid Keith explained his reasoning.

"Well, you called him dad earlier…" Keith's embarrassment showed on his cheeks. Lance looked at him for a second with wide eyes before he burst out laughing and began walking towards his room again.

"No. Well, yeah I did, but I didn't mean it like that. He isn't my _real_ dad."

"Then why-"

"Because he… Well, he just kind of takes care of everyone one on here and he's out leader right next to Allura and I guess we are all kind of one big family. He just happens to act a lot like a dad. So, to make fun of him and joke around whenever he seems too over protective or overbearing we call him dad." Lance explained. As soon as he was done they arrived at his room.

"Oh, I guess that I can understand that." Keith answered to no one as Lance had disappeared into his room. He adjusted some of the things he had brought as he waited, the towel was beginning to fall off of his shoulder.

"Ah," Lance returned and pulled Keith's towel up a bit on his shoulder, noticing it was on the verge of falling. "There." He said nothing else and began to lead the way to the showers.

The showers were nothing to be amazed by. One large room that had small walls separating each of the ten or so showers. Each wall reached up to ones mid chest. In the wall the shower head was on there was a small hole that held soap and other things of the like. There was a small section at the front of the room where you could leave your things to keep them from getting wet.

Lance was the first to start to strip. He got down to his boxers, grabbed his towel, and headed to the first shower. Keith was too busy deciding what to do to notice that he had started the water running and thrown his boxers over the short barrier to the pile of dirty clothes he had made.

 _'Should I go ahead and change my body completely human while Lance is here?'_

Keith had never had much practice at being fully human. He could do it off course, if he focused, but that took quite a bit of energy. He like to stay in a relaxed state somewhere in the middle of both forms. Currently, he was about half and half under his clothes. He hadn't bothered changing the pigment of his skin or the muscular build of his Galra form that was similar, but not quite the same as a humans. Among _other_ things that weren't the same both ways.

 _'Best to play it safe I guess.'_ He thought to himself. After a moment of collecting himself and switching his physical aspects he was fully human. He even went as far as pulling back his ears. Something that still felt wrong and gave him a guilty feeling that he was cheating. Cheating and slacking on his mission.

 _'That's not what's going not right now. No one here is going to make fun of your ears. All of them have the same ears as you.'_ He told himself.

"Are you gonna shower or what dude?" Lance asked, but didn't look at him, too busy rubbing shampoo into his hair.

"I was getting there!" Keith growled out.

"By next week maybe." Lance mocked back with a smirk.

"I could be done before you even with the head start you have." Keith said and began to strip down quickly. He grabbed his towel and got to the next closest shower, the one beside Lance's.

He chucked his boxers over Lance's head and noticed that Lance had taken his challenge and was rapidly scrubbing at his hair.

Keith turned the faucet hastily and got to work.

…

"A tie isn't a valid end to a competition!"

"Well you wouldn't accept the fact that I won so…"

"You did not! I had to put conditioner in my hair too! That takes time to set in!"

"Yet you had a full two or three minute head start~"

"Ugg! I won and you know it. You are a liar!"

"And you are insufferable."

 **...**

 **Hey! Thanks for the comments and love!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

After the shower Keith and Lance went back to their own rooms.

When Keith got back to his room he put his extra shirt into the wardrobe in a separate area to wash later. He changed his ears and let his physical features revert to their usual 'at rest' state. His hair was still slightly damp so he decided against pulling it back.

He wasn't sure what to do now.

He reorganized his other things even though there wasn't much to organize in the first place. After, he polished his sword with an old piece of clothing from the wardrobe.

Once that was finished he tried to think of something else to keep him preoccupied. He felt restless. He felt useless.

What was he supposed to do? Sit in here and think about the things that had lead up to this moment? No, his thoughts were much too messy for that and his past was something that darkened much too frequently for him to be able to remanence freely.

He was bored.

He didn't know what the other paladins were doing at the moment, but he knew that Coran was fixing the castle with Allura. He had contemplated helping them, but he was still wary of Allura. Maybe he could…

He stopped pacing and gazed over to where his blade sat on his bed.

 _'Yeah, that sounds good.'_ He thought to himself. He grabbed his sword and sheath. He slung the sheath over his shoulder and pushed the sword into it.

It only took him a few minutes to find the training deck. He had _actually_ payed attention to the group when they were giving directions to the room. He knew that he would be using it at some point.

When the automatic doors slid open with a gentle hiss he caught sight of three colored suits of armor ducking, dodging, and firing rapidly as tall robots chased them around, trying to cut them down with oversized blades.

"Hunk! Your 6!" Pidge shouted out to Hunk as she zapped her own attacker with her Bayard. Hunk turned 180 degrees and was met with the bot that had originally been after Lance, but changed directions to attack Hunk.

Hunk was already struggling with his first bot and when he turned his fire away from the other, the original used the reprieve to sprint closer and attack him from behind. The bot brought its blade in a downward strike over top of Hunks head just as Hunk shot down the second bot.

"Hunk!" Keith screamed out.

Just before the blade sliced through him a blue laser smashed into the bots hands and sent the blade soaring away. A few more blue lasers flew into the bots body until it pixilated and dissipated into the air.

Hunk turned back to look in shock at where the bot was. Then he looked to Lance who lowered his smoking gun. Lance gave a cocky grin and tossed the gun onto his shoulder in a very 'sure of himself' movement.

"Thanks bro." Hunk said in a sigh of relief.

"I've got your back my dude, no worries." Lance grinned.

"Ugg, could you guys, like, tone down the Bro-mance over there a little bit?" Pidge questioned unamused as she replaced her Bayard in her suit of paladin armor. "I bet at this point even Keith can feel it, from all the way over there." She gestured to him and they turned to greet him.

"Hey Keith. Did you need something?" Hunk asked.

"Oh, I was just gonna do some training or exercises or something. Not like I really have anything to do at the moment so…" He trailed off in a shrug and looked around.

"Oh! You could teach us some of that hand to hand combat if you're still up for it!" Hunk suggested.

"Yeah! I was looking forward to that, even though it is a lot of work. I want to be able to kick Lance's ass next time he calls me short stack." Pidge chimed in and sent a glare at Lance to emphasize her point. Keith turned his gaze to Lance, to see where he stood on the matter.

He was expecting him to have some sort of snarky retort to what Pidge had said, but Lance was oddly silent. He had a slight frown on his face and he looked at the ground before realizing that the others were expecting him to speak. As he looked at them he pulled up a small smile.

"Yeah, fine. I don't care." He was smiling, but his eyes weren't crinkling in the corners like they usually did. "Nothing that he's going to show you that I couldn't anyways. You'll realize that it's a waste of time soon enough." He put his Bayard away and crossed his arms while he talked.

Pidge and Hunk shared a questioning glance before shrugging it off and readdressing Keith. "So?"

Keith saw the excitement in the two's eyes and felt inclined to do as they said. But when he looked at Lance he felt uneasy. Where did he remember that smile from? It seemed so familiar. And that strange light in his blue eyes…

"Please?" Pidge was looking at Keith, but it was Lance who seemed to react to it. He bit his lip and uncrossed his arms. Keith thought for a moment longer before he nodded his head.

"I guess. I did say I would teach you guys, after all." He shrugged, giving in. Hunk and Pidge both cheered and high fived each other. Lance smiled behind the two. This one was a real smile as he watched them both.

"Alright! Where do we start?" Hunk asked. Keith walked the rest of the way into the room and stopped before the small group.

"Well, what do you know?"

"They know a lot." Lance answered for them before stepping closer to be beside the others. "They know Choke holds, Elbow strikes, and Takedowns." He said proudly as he crossed his arms once again.

"Yeah, we know what they are, but we don't actually know how execute them." Pidge deadpanned.

"What?!" Lance seemed taken back. His eyes were wide and his mouth fell open with disbelief. "I totally showed you guys how to do those! Hunk?" He looked to Hunk for help as his arms fell from their crossed position.

"Well…" Hunk rubbed the back of his neck and didn't meet Lance's eyes. Lance's mouth dropped wider and he scoffed. "You demonstrated and all, but you just kinda… Didn't explain much past that…"

"Hmph." Lance turned his nose up at the two of them and turned away. The betrayal he felt was evident in his sloped shoulders, even though he was trying to seem angry at them. The only thing his body language said was gloom. Keith looked to the others to see if they noticed, but they seemed to brush off Lance's behavior as overreacting.

Maybe human body language was different from Galra body language. The Galra communicated with body language all the time, but that wasn't a universal thing Keith supposed.

It was suddenly then that Keith remembered where he had seen that fake smile.

 _Keith was only 13 when he met her. He only knew her over the course of one month, but that had been all it took to burn her into his memory._

 _"My name is Aubr." She had told the combat class the morning she transferred in. Her parents had changed branches of the Blade and she had to move facilities. Keith only had combat training with her._

 _She really shouldn't have stood out as much as she did when he first saw her. Her hair was a short, deep violet bob. Her face wasn't remarkably beautiful or ugly and her face marks were standard in that they were a few shades lighter and patterned the lower parts of her cheeks. A small line of much lighter fur ran from the hair line at her forehead down to her nose. Her voice wasn't strong or weak, but a perfectly average mix of both. Her eyes were pale yellow, but also very large. They were the most prominent feature on her face._

 _"Alright Aubr, today we will be doing group defense. You can choose any group you like." The teacher said. Most of the groups were of friends who had known each other for a long time and many of them didn't seem to be willing to make new friends. Keith's group was made up of the left overs. The ones that didn't have friends or their own groups that they could stay in._

 _She choose Keith's group. She didn't say a word when she joined them, she just hovered around the edge of their already scattered circle._

 _Jani, the only other girl in their little group of 5 now 6, decided to start a conversation with her, even though her body language practically screamed no, with her crossed arms and avoidance of eye contact._

 _"I'm Jani." She said cautiously, as if approaching a very dangerous animal. She held out her hand in greeting._

 _Aubr looked at her for a moment before Keith heard a quiet sigh and she returned the gesture. She placed her own hand palm up in Jani's hand before pulling away. A standard Blade greeting. Jani smiled._

 _"Are you any good at fighting? I'm pretty terrible at it…" Jani offered. Aubr seemed to break from her stiff stance at the peaceful question._

 _"I'm not too bad at it." Aubr smiled slightly._

 _Jurak, who was a short (Keith was still the shortest though) timid boy, chimed in here. "I think you're lying." He challenged._

 _'He has no room to talk. He's a horrible fighter.' Keith though silently from a few meters away._

 _"I'm not." Aubr said with an unwavering confidence. It took Jurak back a few steps._

 _"Class, it's time to start. Partner up. Begin with breaking out of a wrist hold. Pull as hard as you can from where your partners fingers meet." The teacher instructed._

 _The group looked around at each other for a moment before they began paring up. Aubr looked at Jani for a moment with hope in her eyes, a small smile still on her face._

 _Jurak put his hand on Jani's shoulder. "You're my partner."_

 _"But-" He cut her off with a look. "Okay." She sighed. She turned away without making eye contact with Aubr. She didn't get to see how her face stiffened, her smile was still there, but the light in her eyes wasn't. Her body language whispered 'betrayal'._

 _She squared her shoulders and looked for a partner._

 _Keith was the only one left. He may have been in the outcast group, but even there, he didn't fit in._

 _She saw that he was alone and came closer. When she reached where he was standing she made eye contact and was about to speak when her eyes met his. She seemed to see him now, not just a person off to the side, but actually see him. She saw his detailed two layered eyes and his extra short stature and his different hair. She was smart enough and he was different enough. She knew that he wasn't full Galra. That he wasn't like the others._

 _Keith expected the worst honestly. He expected her to grimace when he held out his hand to start the exercise. For her to look around for a different partner._

 _But she didn't. When she finally stopped taking in the sight that is_ Keith _, she smiled. A real smile that crinkled the edges of her eyes. She gripped his arm to begin the exercise and asked quietly, "What's your name?"_

 _He didn't quite understand her question. "Aren't you- Don't you think I'm a freak?" He asked quietly._

 _She smiled even further. "I don't think you're a freak." She leaned in closer until she was able to whisper into his ear. Her breath tickled his ear when she said, "That would make me a hypocrite."_

 _Keith leaned back to look her in the eyes. "You're a-" She cupped a hand over his mouth, startling him from finishing his question._

 _"Shh! Can you keep my secret?" Keith nodded. She removed her hand._

 _"I'm Keith." He said when she backed away a bit. She nodded and released his arm from the attacker hold, deciding that they weren't doing the exercise anyway, and held her hand out for greeting. Keith placed his hand palm up and smiled, for the first time in a while, to his classmate._

 _"It is nice to meet you Keith." Her shoulders were relaxed and her face held a soft yet excited expression. Her eyes were bright._

 _"Let's start the exercise." He smiled. She held out her arm and they began._

 _…_

 _It had been a week since Aubr had shown up._

 _He had talked with her every day since then and found that she was a smart girl, an above average fighter, and a below average socializer. She was no good with the attention that being the new kid brought on. When people tried to talk to her she would avoid the questions and try to get away as soon as possible, or stutter out a short answer and duck her head._

 _For some reason the more popular kids found this endearing. They begin to pull her towards their group. They invited her to sit with them at lunch rather than with "that weird Halfling who doesn't have any friends."_

 _The first day she declined. She was sitting across from Keith at the small bench like table that fit four people. "Oh, uh, I-I-I wouldn't want to b-bother you all." She ducked her head down and poked at her food. The small welcoming group just smiled and giggled before leaving._

 _Keith said nothing as he silently digested the insult the group had casually thrown out like they were commenting on the stars._

 _"They didn't mean it." She offered, breaking him out of his thoughts. Her fork hovered over her food as she stared at him with her pale eyes._

 _"Yes they did. They aren't very kind to partials." Keith said, using the most polite word he could to describe himself. She frowned at him._

 _"They just don't know you. They don't seem too bad." She put her fork down on her tray._

 _"You say that you are-" Keith glanced around and saw that the people at the popular table were looking their way. "What you are, but you don't look it. I do. It makes things different. There is no way to tell you apart from pures." She looked at him owlishly for a moment before blinking her round eyes slowly. She looked down to her food and muttered something quietly. Keith heard, his ears swiveling just a bit more in her direction as he listened._

 _"I have a tail." Her shoulders were slumped. The mood changed to gloomy quickly._

 _"Oh… I didn't know." Keith said. There were a few Partials who he knew of that had tails, and all of them had the same other half. The species that the tail came from was not held in high regard and was often thought of as un-pure and conniving. She had all the more reason to hide her heritage if she was half of what Keith was almost 100 % positive she was._

 _"It's okay. You didn't mean it." She smiled a fake little smile and gazed at him with dull yellow eyes. It obviously wasn't okay._

 _"I'm half a species that hardly anyone has ever heard of before." Keith blurted out, desperate to change the mood. To keep the only friend he had._

 _"Really?" Her smile changed just a bit, a curious light brightening her intelligent eyes._

 _'Good, I can fix this'_

 _"Yeah, they're called 'Human' and my dad was one." Keith almost never talked about his family. Honestly though, he had no one to talk with in the first place. Thace and Kolivan were who he considered his real family now and like that girl had said earlier, he had no friends._

 _She giggled. "Hu-man." She tasted the word and smiled. "It sounds so odd."_

 _…_

 _"You can come sit with us today, come on, it will be great." The girl smiled down at Aubr and ignored Keith completely. Keith wondered why they were being so persistent. Maybe Aubr was prettier than he had first thought? The girl who was talking to her was pretty shallow, so he couldn't think of any other reason they would act like this._

 _When Keith looked at Aubr he could see how torn she was. She obviously wanted to fit in. Everyone did. And going to sit with the popular kids would get her on that path. Being seen with Keith wasn't exactly the most helpful thing, even though most people treated him like he was never there in the first place, it made her a target for the more troublesome kids being seen with him._

 _But at the same time she didn't want to leave Keith. The two of them had become close friends over the course of a week and a half and she didn't want to brush him off like some annoying bug._

 _Keith didn't want that either._

 _He knew he was being selfish. He knew that if Aubr didn't do what these kids said soon that they would turn their efforts from recruitment to bullying. But Aubr was his only friend. He hadn't had anyone his age to talk to in so long and he was desperate to keep his one friend._

 _So he said nothing and let Aubr work through the problem herself._

 _"Oh, I was j-j-just fin-f-fini-"She stopped and took a breath. "I am done with m-my food now so… I-I-I'm gonna go n-n-n." She couldn't get the last word out so she gave up and the girl's sympathetic smile dropped when Aubr stood with her tray and placed it by the trash cans before turning to leave. Completely avoiding the request seemed to be how she chose to handle the situation today._

 _Right before she left she turned to the door and looked at Keith. Keith took this as his cue and followed her out after placing his tray with hers. They didn't speak as they walked to their respective classes._

 _…_

 _It was the third time that Keith wasn't so lucky._

 _"Hey Aubr!" Today, there were four people huddled around the table, ready to greet her._

 _"Hey Kaylet." Aubr spoke cautiously to the girl who had spoken. She must have known her from another class._

 _"So are you going to sit with us today?" She asked sweetly as a wicked smile carved across her face. "Or does the Halfling still threaten you to sit with him?" She crossed her arms and leaned closer to Aubr._

 _"W-What?"_

 _"Well, we figured that there was no other way such a weird Halfling would be able to get anyone to sit with him and you always seem so nervous when we ask you to leave. So, does he threaten you?"_

 _"O-Of course not." Aubr spoke, confused and flustered._

 _"Oh, bribery then? I bet the Halfling can get you lots of things, his daddy runs this place after all." She got closer and the people around her did the same, crowding her._

 _Keith was beginning to feel the heat rise in his ears._

 _"I don't do anything like that-" The three people who had come with Kaylet broke away from her and surrounded Keith. Keith noticed for the first time that these were the biggest, strongest fighters in his class._

 _"Shut it Halfy. Wouldn't want another 'episode' now would we?" A boy mocked. All of them stood a head and a half taller than Keith, but he was used to this. Everyone was taller than him at this point and he wouldn't let their towering frames intimidate him._

 _"His name is Keith." Aubr said steadily._

 _"What?"_

 _"Did I stutter?" Aubr asked and raised her eyebrow in a challenge. Kaylet looked startled before she recovered the evil grin on her face._

 _"I like that, you've got spunk. But I still don't understand, why the Halfling?"_

 _"Keith." She insisted. She said nothing past that, but she stood, squared her shoulders, and met Kaylet's gaze. Kaylet narrowed her eyes before she smiled even wider._

 _"Oh, I get it. Boys, I figured it out." She gestured to the three surrounding Keith to get their attention. Keith glanced to Aubr and saw how her stance shifted. No longer was confidence set in her features. That was replaced with a mask of indifference, but Keith could see the turmoil under her skin and hear the unspoken question._

 _'Do they know what I am?'_

 _"She must have taken pity on poor 'Keith'" She bent her fingers in mock air quotes as she said his name. "She is just being nice." She turned her gaze back to Aubr and her voice became mockingly innocent. "Or, there is another reason?" She pouted her lip out and batted her eyes._

 _Aubr was torn. Her mouth was slightly open and she found herself looking back to Keith to try and gauge the situation._

 _"Anyway, come sit with us. Halfy doesn't need pity or your kindness. Unless… You belong here. At the Halfling table." She spoke with normally, but there was a threat on her breath that rang out loud and clear._

 _'If you sit with him, you must be a Halfling too.'_

 _"I'll…" She looked at Keith._

 _"Please." Keith whispered. He couldn't lose his only friend. Not now, when he had barely even gotten to know her._

 _'Please don't leave me alone.'_

 _"I'll…" She looked at Kaylet. Keith could see the decision being made. The decision to stay hidden. The decision to fit in without him. "Sit w-with you guys I g-g-guess."_

 _"Yay!" Kaylet clapped her hands and walked to her table where some of her other friends were waiting. She sat like she hadn't just torn Keith's only bit of hope from him._

 _Aubr grabbed her things and the three other popular kids left with Kaylet. Keith let himself fall into his chair._

 _"We can still be friends." She smiled a fake little smile and gazed at him with dull yellow eyes. She was a terrible lair. She wouldn't risk being revealed as a Halfling._

 _As she left Keith tried to force all of the sadness away. He turned it to anger. At Kaylet. At her goons. But most of all to Aubr, for leaving him to fend for himself all alone. Again._

 _But hey, who needs friends anyways?_

 _…_

 _It was about a week later when he heard the first rumors._

 _"Did you hear?" The boy who sat a few rows away from him asked the boy a seat ahead of him._

 _"Hear what?"_

 _"About that new girl."_

 _"No, what about her?"_

 _"Well, I heard that she's a Halfling."_

 _"What? No way! She looks fine to me."_

 _"Well that's the thing." He lowered his voice. "She has a tail."_

 _"Oh! Wow, that's nasty."_

 _"Yeah I know right, and I thought she was cool."_

 _Keith stopped listening then. Aubr's secret was out._

 _He tried to find her before his next class but she wasn't at her class. He asked around a bit. Most people gave him a dirty look, questioned why he would want to know, and then didn't answer, but one person told him that she hadn't been to any of her classes today._

 _She didn't show up the next day either. But the third day he saw her. He was on the way to combat class. Before he could go in she pulled him aside in a private area away from everyone else._

 _He yellow eyes seemed drained and were especially pale on the edges. She had been crying._

 _"You told people didn't you?" She was frowning so intensely that it seemed to pull her whole face into an expression of sadness._

 _"No I didn't." Keith answered honestly._

 _"I didn't tell anyone else about it. It had to have been you, no one else knew. Why did you do it?" Her voice cracked at the end and he could her the tears that were soon to come. He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off. "Was it because I didn't talk to you after I-I" She sniffed and wiped at her eyes._

 _"No. I didn't tell anyone, I swear." Keith tried to say. She looked at him and the tears fell from her eyes in rapid succession._

 _"Then how? How do people know?" Aubr questioned._

 _"I don't know." Aubr bit her lip, her sharp fangs cutting roughly into her skin as she thought. "Did you hand out with anyone who could have figured it out?" Keith offered._

 _Her eyes narrowed and she seemed on the verge of figuring something out when a hiccup disrupted her thoughts. She wiped at her eyes._

 _"Kaylet. Did you hang out with Kaylet?" Keith pushed._

 _"She said that I had to hang out with her and her friends for at least one night. So I did." Aubr said quietly. Then her eyes widened and she brought her hand over her mouth._

 _"It was Kaylet then." Keith said for her. Her eyes filled with tears again and she covered her face with her hands._

 _"Yes it w-was Kaylet." She cried out. Keith didn't quite know what to do. "I'm sorry Keith. I shouldn't have blamed you." She didn't pull her face from her hands and cried harder, her entire body shaking._

 _"Shh, it's okay." Keith said and gently pulled her into an embrace. He was shorter than her, he was shorter than everyone after all, so it was a bit awkward, but she didn't seem to mind as she flung her arms around him and hugged him back._

 _For roughly the next two weeks Keith protected Aubr from the insults and scuffles and bullying that followed. He stayed by her side and she became his best friend._

 _It was hell when her parents were transferred again and she left. Left him alone all over again. She was no better of course. There were tears and hugs and Keith would never tell her, but he had begged Kolivan to keep her parents here so that she would be able to stay. Kolivan had said no of course. Best for the Blade that they moved._

 _The parting was hard for both of them._

 _But hey, who needs friends anyways?_

"We should do a quick self-defense coverage before we go over any of those 'Choke holds, Elbow strikes, and Takedowns'" He listed off the things that Lance had said. "We can go over breaking out of a wrist grab real quick and then move up from there." Pidge and Hunk had a look of determination about them, while Lance seemed to have accepted the fact that this was happening and joined the group.

"So pair up?" Pidge asked. Keith nodded and Pidge turned to Hunk. The size differences were almost comical how the smallest child had paired with the very large Hawaiian man, but they didn't seem to notice.

Hunk held out his hand arm and Pidge tried to put her hand around his wrist but… Her fingers didn't even go halfway around.

"Um, I think that you guys are going to have to separate for this." Keith said awkwardly. Hunk laughed abashedly and Pidge joined him.

"Yeah, you're right." Pidge said. Keith partnered with Pidge, and Hunk with Lance. Lance may have only been a few inches taller than Keith, but his hands were bigger and therefore, better for this exercise.

"Alright, so first…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Ugg… Why did I agree to this?" Lance asked no one in particular from his place on the floor. Keith looked down to him with a small smirk before offering him a hand.

Despite the fact that Keith had just flipped Lance over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground, Lance took his hand and allowed him to hoist him up.

"Maybe a bit gentler next time?" Lance rubbed at the small of his back.

"That was amazing!" Pidge shouted.

They had been learning from Keith for almost an hour now. The small group had learned at an extraordinary pace. Choke holds, Elbow strikes, and Takedowns had been a quick lesson, along with a few more offensive type moves, and they were now being taught how to flip someone over their shoulder. Lance being, well, Lance, had volunteered to help demonstrate. He had assumed that he would be the one flipping Keith and had been quite surprised when he had suddenly gripped his hand and forearm and launched him over his shoulder.

"Thanks Pidge." Keith said modestly.

"Yeah, yeah. My turn." Lance said and smiled wickedly. Keith looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and twitched his ears curiously. Lance's smile lost a bit of its wickedness at this as he grinned crookedly.

 _Cute._

"Your turn?" Keith asked and cocked his head to the side blinking his violet eyes widely.

 _So cute._

"Yeah, to um… you know." Lance offered, dancing around his words.

"Spit it out Lance! I want to try it too." Pidge complained. Lance looked to Pidge slightly hurt.

"My turn to flip Keith." Lance said with an overly confident and cocky voice to cover up the feelings inside him. He earned an eye roll from Pidge.

"Well, then do it already man." Hunk said. He didn't mean anything hurtful by it but Lance couldn't help the small pang of hurt his words created.

"Haha, I was getting there." He smiled dully. His shoulders were stiff and his finger twitched against his legs.

"It's alright Lance, go ahead." Keith said quietly in a soft and steady voice as he held his arm out for Lance to take. All of them turned to look at him in confusion at his curious behavior.

Lance raised an eyebrow and let his stance loosen as he approached cautiously.

 _A trick?_ He wondered. Keith continued to stand with his arm out as Lance circled around him. _Maybe he knows that... No, I know how to hide my emotions well enough._

"Get on with it Lance." Pidge jabbed at him. Her words shocked him out of his investigation and he sent a glare her way.

"You're just jealous that I get to flip someone before you, shortstack." He jeered.

 _No, she's just annoyed by you like everyone else._

He tried to chase that particular thought away and focus instead on Pidge, who was vibrating with fury. He knew that he had a few problems with self-esteem, but he was handling it, right?

Okay, so he wasn't handling it very well, but it's not like the team had time to talk about his feelings. They had an elusive lion to find, and an entire universe to save. Not really a lot of time for 'emotional talks' in between.

He was used to it after all. His family consisted of him, two brothers very close in age to each other, a much older sister, and his mother and father. The brothers were into sports and always in need of transportation (they could do it themselves if they weren't such reckless drivers who failed their driving tests every time) which he helped provided once he got his driver's license. His older sister was always getting into some sort of trouble and even though she was four years older than Lance he was often guiding her down the right path. His father worked two jobs and never got home until after 11. His mother had her own job but was left most nights to wrangle the children to bed, make dinner, clean the house, and all the other things that a mom is responsible for.

She somehow always found time to talk with Lance though. Whether it be late into the night after the younger children were in bed or while he helped her cook dinner, she was always there to listen to his silly little stories and let him vent or just have a genuine conversation.

But he had been afraid. Afraid that she wouldn't treat him the same if she knew. If she knew that he thought of himself as weak, or worthless. Afraid to find out if she thought of her son as useless as he thought of himself.

So he said nothing to her, not even after he qualified for the Garrison. A dream come true, but at the cost of his family. He smiled a forced little smile that he had begun to master and told his family goodbye, and that he would be fine without them.

His mother had been against the idea of him leaving her, but agreed because she knew that he had been after a position in the garrison since he had known that it was possible for him to join. All he had ever wanted was a chance to be with the stars.

" _Buena suerte. Ten cuidado." She had told him as she hugged him goodbye for the last time. "Come back to me hijo." She had whispered to him._

" _I promise I will madre." He responded. He lied._

"Come on Lance!" Keith said loudly. He was still holding his arm out but there was a line of annoyance creasing his brow. Lance must have zoned out a bit.

Not letting another moment pass he backed up to Keith and grabbed his arm from over his shoulder before using all of the power he could muster to yank him over his shoulder. Keith's body flipped gracefully over, but unlike Lance, he managed to pull his feet under him so that he landed standing with his arm in an awkward position.

"Not bad." Keith offered as he pulled his arm from Lance's grip. Lance looked at him warily for a moment before cracking a smile.

"Did you see that? Yeah, I'm awesome!" Lance looked to Hunk and Pidge (She was still glaring a bit at Lance for his earlier comment)

"I honestly didn't think that you would be able to get him off his feet." Pidge grumbled.

The group did a few more exercises like this. Lance was flipped again, by Hunk. Keith was almost flipped by Pidge, but she couldn't quite get him over her shoulder. She was just too weak.

"Just you wait. I'm gonna lift so many weights that I'll be able to flip Hunk by the end of the month." She swore, jabbing her finger in Lance's direction.

"How about we try a level on the simulator and use what you've learned?" Keith suggested. The group nodded in understanding and Lance started the simulator on the easiest setting.

One bot appeared. Together the group of four gathered in a loose circle around it.

The battle was quick and efficient and the group prevailed. Keith had been attacking as little as possible to try and let the rest of them try out their attacks, but ended up fighting just as hard as the others. They each worked together, pushing it and catching it in its blind spot. They took calculated risks that worked well when they had others to trust if they failed. When the bot finally dissolved into computer code and disappeared the group slouched down on the floor to catch their breath.

"Damn. It feels like that thing never has an 'easy' setting." Lance commented.

"Keith, that was amazing!" Hunk said as he sat up. "You were all like, punch, kick, pow! You kicked its ass!"

"Yeah." Keith breathed, seemingly just as tired as the rest of them.

"Thanks Keith, without those moves we would have gotten out asses kicked. You're a good teacher." Pidge commented, but didn't sit up from where she was staring at the ceiling from the floor. Lance tried to ignore how Keith was getting all of the praise for teaching them, when Lance had never even gotten so much as a thank you for teaching them earlier.

"No, you guys are just good at learning." Keith responded.

Lance sat up and pulled himself to his feet.

 _He's better than you. He could easily replace you. Then what would you be? Nothing._

He shook his head. The thoughts were getting worse. It was time to separate himself from the problem. That always helped.

 _Running from your problems. Nothing new there._

The voice sighed in his head as he grabbed his helmet from the floor and headed to the door.

 _Soon, you will be a simple waste of space on this ship. You have nothing to offer this team._

Lance screwed his eyes shut and forced the sting of tears to go away. Now was not the time for this to be happening.

"Lance?" Keith's voice rang out questioningly. Lance didn't turn around. He forced the voice to go away, smothering it with memories of his sibling's laughter after a game of fútbol.

"Where are you going?" Keith's voice was closer. Lance was almost out of the door.

"Just gonna hit the showers and cooldown." He offered vaguely. He kept the emotions swimming in his mind behind a wall as he spoke.

"Good idea." Hunk mumbled from further back in the room.

 _Great._ He thought to himself. _So much for some time to myself._

It was probably for the best. He wouldn't be able to stew in his room for an unhealthy amount of time.

"I'll come with you, I could do with a rinse." Keith offered and a sniff could be heard as he emphasized his point.

"You guys go on." Pidge said, most likely talking to Hunk. "I'll just-" She gasped suddenly.

"Guys! We forgot about Shiro's arm chip!" She exclaimed and ran over to the group. "It should be unencrypted by now."

Lance glanced over to Keith to gauge his reaction. Keith's ears were tilted slightly back and his eyes were slightly wider than normal. He placed his hands on his belt.

"Oh. I guess we can get in contact with the Blade then." Keith said after a moment of decisive silence with no particular infliction. Lance tried to decide if he was just seeing things when he thought he saw a flash in Keith's eyes.

"Come on. I think that the computer is still in the command room."

The group followed Pidge to the command room.

Hunk fell into step beside her and Keith and Lance walked side by side. Keith sighed quietly before pulling his hair back with a small black hair tie, leaving it in a tiny pony tail just above his neck. He rubbed at the back of his neck as the cool air hit the skin.

Lance forced himself to look away from the mesmerizing action.

"So, do you know any higher ups in the Blade? Will you be able to get them to believe we are allies?" Lance asked, trying to get his mind on other things.

Keith grimaced.

"Yes. I will be able to get them to believe that it would be the most beneficial for either of us to become allies." He said flatly.

"Did you rehearse that or something?" Keith's brows drew together as he caught Lance's eye. Lance explained further. "Because that sounded really fake."

"Fake?"

"Yes, like there is something else that you aren't saying. So you use those other things in place of what you really want to say. You're being fake." Keith narrowed his eyes at him.

" _You would know a lot about that wouldn't you Lance." Keith spit._

"What?" Lance took a step back and came to a stop. Keith narrowed his eyes further in confusion.

"I said that I had never heard that word used like that before." Keith seemed confused as to why Lance had stopped.

 _It was in your head. You've been stressing too much again._ Lance told himself and began to walk again.

"It's a slang word. It sounds really stupid when you use it like that, but it was perfect for the situation. So, what do you really want to say?" Lance pushed.

Keith gnawed on his lower lip. Lance didn't know if Keith was unaware, or just didn't care, but whenever he thought over things seriously his skin would take on light shades of purple. The shades moved and faded over his face and neck and hands. It was almost as if the colors where Keith's very own thoughts moving about and deciding.

"I… I think…" Keith trailed off and didn't meet Lance's gaze until he finally found his words. "The Blade probably thinks I'm dead. I have family there, and they are worried about me, I'm sure. But, their judgements will be clouded by their emotions." Keith looked forward and didn't say anything more.

"And?" Lance prodded.

"And… They will want me to leave here and stay at the base if they find out that it was you who captured me in the first place and it will make it harder to get them onto your side." Keith sighed.

"Oh." Was all Lance had to offer in the way of conversation.

 _Lucky break. He can't stay here forever. You might be of some worth if he isn't here anymore._

The voice was so loud.

"So, you'll leave once we get to the Blade?" Lance questioned. He tried to keep his voice flat and toneless. If Keith left before Lance could repay him for saving his life he would still be indebted to him. It wasn't so bad, but Lance felt like there was some other reason that his stomach was in knots at the thought of him leaving.

Keith said nothing as his skin danced purple. Lance didn't have any more time to pry because they had reached the command room.

Shiro and Allura were in the middle of what seemed to be a deep conversation when they noticed the rag-tag group enter.

"Is something wrong?" Shiro asked as they all approached and looked around the room for the computer.

"The results should be ready. The ones from the chip." Pidge answered, semi-distracted and not really taking the time to specify what she meant.

Shiro figured it out though.

"Oh, the computer is sitting by that chair." Shiro gestured. All eyes followed where he was pointing.

Pidge darted over to her computer and quickly booted it up. Everyone gathered around, even Allura, to see the message.

Coding and numbers that only Pidge seemed to be able to read took over the screen. Pidge squinted her eyes at it before humming a soft, thoughtful noise to herself.

"I think these are coordinates."

"Allura!" A voice called from the hallway. The group turned and was met with the sight of a very disgruntled Coran whose mustache was smoldering at the ends. "We have a problem with the communicator. It seems that some of the circuitry has been melted beyond repair and other parts have shattered into such tiny pieces that they can't be put back together." Coran stood a bit away from the group as he delivered his message.

"What of the spare parts?" Allura asked, ever the level-headed problem solver she was.

"I can't find them! I have searched the entire castle. I think that I used the last of the extra parts to fix the particle barrier earlier."

"That takes priority over the communicator. It's alright. The next time we find ourselves near a trading star we can get more supplies." She sighed. "Until then there is nothing we can do. Try to fix whatever else you can. I will continue to reboot the systems from here." She gestured to the two pillars that had a projected screen between them.

"Yes, Princess." Coran saluted. "What are you all looking at?" Coran dropped his hand and curiously came closer to get a better look at Pidge's computer screen. "Coordinates?"

"That's what it looks like." Pidge answered.

"That's only two sectors away from where we are now." Allura said.

"Well… Maybe we should pay the Blade a visit." Shiro suggested. Allura looked to him with so many emotions that Lance couldn't even pick out one from the other. Lance looked over to Keith. Keith's skin was a soft lilac and his mouth was set in a firm line. Keith nodded ever-so-slightly, as if he had decided something for himself.

Allura took a breath, and if anyone else had asked to go to the Blade her response would have been negative. However, it was Shiro who had asked. The Black Lion's Paladin and head of team Voltron. The attractive, intelligent, Space dad. So her answer was this instead:

"Maybe it is."

* * *

 **fixed a bug**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The group had gotten everything set up for the castle to begin its slow journey to the mark of the coordinates. They decided that it was best if they took their time to get there and let Allura conserve her energy so that if it was needed she could make a complete jump with little to no problem. Now, with everything set, the crew had gathered in the command room.

"Paladins, you should go and spend some time with your lions before we arrive. Try to strengthen your bonds, let your minds sync together. The stronger your bonds with your lions _and_ with one and other, the easier it will be for you to form Voltron," The Princess explained.

Pidge, Lance, and Hunk nodded and went to their respective lions in either hanger bay, leaving Keith, Allura, Shiro, and Coran in the command room.

"Well, I'm going to get back to fixing up the castle." Coran stated moments after the paladins were out of sight. He left without a scene.

"Me as well." Allura added and turned back to her control screen and began typing away.

Keith looked at her with curiosity. She had to have been working for hours now. Coran too. But neither of them stopped for even a moment to take a small break. Allura was frowning at the screen, emphasizing the small, dark, circles under her eyes, the pink markings just beneath them seemed paler than what they had been when Keith had first met her.

She was obviously tired. The castle was pretty beat up, yes, but it was functioning just fine at the moment and it was already on auto pilot to the coordinates. It would be at least twelve hours before the castle even got to the mark's solar system and another few after that to reach the actual mark, Allura should rest.

Keith wanted to say something, but he knew that it wasn't his place to tell her what she should or shouldn't do.

"Princess," Shiro's voice caught the attention of both Allura and Keith. Shiro's face held a small frown and a worried crease between his eyebrows. "We won't be arriving for quite some time. Maybe you should rest." Shiro urged as he took a step closer to her.

'She trusts Shiro, maybe she will end up getting the rest she needs.' Keith thought to himself.

"But the castle is still in ruins. I _must_ -"

"Be rested enough to control the entire castle and make responsible decisions. If you can hardly stand there is no way that you could do that." Shiro cut her off and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her away from the panel.

"I can stand just fine, thank you very much." She mumbled and crossed her arms, stubbornly standing her ground.

"You say that now but within the hour you will be swaying on your feet. Rest now, and be ready before we arrive. Who knows what we may encounter."

Allura looked at Shiro challengingly for a moment before seeming to finally fold. She sighed and let her eyes fall shut. "Fine, but only for a few hours."

"Of course, Princess." Shiro says. There is a hint of relief in his voice as he guides her away with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

And just like that, they're gone.

And he is once again left to his own devices. It was nothing that he wasn't used to, he had become accustomed to lonely or solitary missions, but he always had an objective then. Now his objective is to wait, something he has never been fond of or good at.

"Ugg. What am I supposed to do now?" he asked himself.

…

 _"What am I supposed to do now?"_

 _Training had ended an hour ago and school was on a two day break for the Blade holiday of Jikilon. A celebration in honor of all of the fallen soldiers of the Blade. It was a joyous holiday that was to be filled with drinking, singing, dancing, and stories of the fallen ones._

 _The people of the Blade saw the celebration as a way to show the ones who had died on the field what they were fighting for, and to celebrate the life that they saved rather than dwelling on the ones that were taken._

 _Kolivan lead some of the activities, which drew a bit more attention than Keith was willing to be in._

 _Thace was giving a speech, the same one he gave every year, about why it was important to stay strong in these trying time. After he would talk with people who had gathered to listen and discuss any concerns that they might have._

 _Keith didn't much care for that part either._

 _So, with nothing better to do, he decided that he would look for Ulaz. He knew that this was a rough time for him and thought that maybe it was for the best if he was in good company._

 _Keith walked with a purpose to where he knew he would find Ulaz._

 _Currently they were in the Blade central headquarters, so, they were also in the one facility that held the names of every fallen blade, inscribed with in the memorial room._

 _The room itself was immense and every wall, as well as a few knee high columns that ran through the room like a maze, was covered in softly glowing names. There were many people here. Mothers and fathers, son and daughters, sisters and brothers, all collected her to pay their respects with a purple flame that could temporarily brighten the name that you lit. Ulaz was kneeling before one of the columns off to the side._

 _Jestice's name was gleaming violet as Ulaz gently rubbed his fingers over the name, his face soft and his eyes sad. Keith took his time picking through the multitude of names and columns before he finally reached Ulaz's side. Ulaz looked up to Keith, eyes flashing with barely contained emotions, before he opened his arms._

 _Keith didn't waste any time finding his way into Ulaz's embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around him and just letting Ulaz take solace in the presence of another living being. He didn't speak until Ulaz loosen his hold and let Keith kneel beside him to trace his fingers over Jestice's name._

 _"She was like a big sister to me." Keith said quietly._

 _"She was just like her mother. So headstrong and beautiful. And now I've lost both of them to Haggar's beasts." Ulaz said bitterly, as a deep sadness overtook his voice, making it waver with grief. Keith looked to Ulaz with wide eyes. Ulaz's eyes were glossy but he took a breath in slowly through his nose and let it out shakily through his mouth._

 _"I know that she saved you. I know that she was already fatally injured. And I know that she did the right thing, but I miss her so much." He downcast his eyes back to the column once more. Keith pulled him into another embrace and this time Ulaz didn't let go. Keith let him sob into his shoulder quietly as he held back tears of his own._

 _…_

 _"He is our only chance!"_

 _"He is corrupted by Haggar."_

 _"He never loses! He finds a way to defeat the beasts every time!"_

 _"We cannot risk a recon mission on someone that is not priority."_

 _"He should be priority. No matter the odds! No matter how slim his chances seem to be! He. Always. Wins."_

 _"Ulaz." Kolivan's firm negotiating voice rang out, it was cold and reminded everyone in the room who was in charge. "I will_ not _allow a recon mission for this man." The decision was final._

 _The silence that followed made Keith take a small step back from the half cracked door he was listening through._

 _"The Blade is quickly ebbing away. We have lost more soldiers, more families, in one turn then we have in the last ten turns. Soon we will be nothing. Soon, there will be absolutely no one opposing Zarkon. You are running out of time Kolivan." Ulaz delivered his words solemnly, but with a finality that sent shivers through Keith's spine._

 _Footsteps began echoing to the door before Keith had time to hide. When Ulaz opens the door and sees Keith he glances back at Kolivan who is standing speechless before the council, and shuts the door quietly._

 _"Keith." Ulaz addresses him quietly. Keith has to look up to meet his eyes, a normal occurrence, but in this instant he feels small. Ulaz is one of the tallest Blades around after all. He gulps._

 _"Yes, Ulaz?" His voice is tiny and hardly there._

 _Ulaz lowers himself to his knees to be closer to eye level with him, making him feel like a child, and not the warrior he so desperately tries to be. Ulaz puts his hands on Keith's shoulders to make sure that he has all of his attention._

 _"The Champion. He is the only way that we can stop Haggar, to slow Zarkon and his armies. I have to free him. Do you understand?"_

 _Keith nodded._

 _"I have to send Takashi back here. Takashi Shirogane. That is what he calls himself."_

 _"How do you know his real name? No one knows that."_

 _"I've infiltrated their base, they believe me an insane doctor. I've been monitoring him, checking his mental state. He has a coping mechanism I believe. After every battle he is put back into his cell, he paces, saying things to himself. Things that he knows are true, a way to keep himself grounded it seems. His name, age, parents, place of birth." Ulaz takes a breath. "If he comes back, but I do not, I need you to promise that you make sure he is allowed to stay."_

 _Keith looks at him with horror. "You are going to come back Ulaz… You have to…"_

 _"Promise me, Keith." Ulaz desperately._

 _"But-"_

 _"Keith. Please." Ulaz's voice cracks and Keith can now see all of the turmoil that had been brewing just beneath the surface of his skin. His hands are shaking on Keith's shoulders and can feel practically feel the sorrow that had settled into Ulaz's very bones. "I have to do this. For them. For my family, blood and Blade." Ulaz's eyes were shimmering with unshed tears._

 _"…Okay…" Keith whispered. "I promise."_

 _Ulaz pulled him into a tight hug and Keith held unto him just as strongly._

 _"Thank you."_

 _…_

Keith decided that he would hone his skill in the training room until the ship was closer to their mark. Something that would force his attention onto anything other than his mind numbing boredom.

After he had grabbed his sword from his room and finally arrived at his destination he began to stretch.

Legs, arms, hips, back.

Then he set the training to level 2 and began a warm up.

He let himself get lost in the motion and soon he was already on level 4 and beginning to have some trouble. He was sweating and his breaths were harsh. His arms were beginning to get weak from heaving his sword around.

He needed a break. Just a quick one to get some water and then he would be back at it again.

"End program." He said. The robotic program took a step towards where he was standing.

 _'It's supposed to dissipate. Maybe I didn't say it loud enough?'_

Keith pulled his sword in front of him defensively.

"End Program." The robot began to run.

"End Program!" He shouted and braced himself as the robot swung down hard against him. He stumbled back and the robot followed kicking him before he had time to dodge.

"Ack!" Keith coughed and grunted as he hit the ground painfully. He didn't have time to think about the pain though, the robot was running at him again. He grabbed his sword from the floor and ran to the exit.

"Close doors! Close doors!" He shouted, hoping that maybe that would work despite the fact that the castle didn't seem to be listening.

The castle didn't respond. The robot still functioned as it left the training room to chase Keith.

 _'Damn it. How am I gonna get rid of this thing?'_

He ran faster, his breaths still uneven and short. He didn't even know where he was going at this point, he was just trying his hardest to lose this dude. His legs were burning and he was afraid that they would give out.

But he had a plan.

Using as little effort as he could he changed one leg at a time. Then his arms. Then the rest of his body quickly followed. The fatigue didn't leave him, but he immediately felt extra power coursing through his veins. His Galra form was stronger than his human one, which was strange, because he was still the same person underneath, but the longer legs and naturally more muscular build made it possible for him to speed up, even if it was just a little.

He kept his eyes human though. There was no reason for him not to, seeing as the corridors he was sprinting through were well lit and a bit too bright for his Galra eyes.

"Help!" He heard a shout. His ears twitched to the sound. It was far away. Two hallways down on the right.

"Anyone, Help!" The cry was desperate and Keith could hear the whine of an alarm from where it originated.

He went towards the voice, the robot followed closely behind him.

"4… 3… 2… 1…" He heard a second voice, the one the castle used, counting down. When it hit one a loud _whoosh_ could be heard. He rounded the last corner and saw the source of the noise. The second air lock door had opened.

Inside was Lance, holding onto a jutting support for dear life.

The first door was still shut, Keith assumed the buttons next to it on the wall would fix that problem.

He didn't stop his sprint and went straight for buttons. He tried to smash his hand into both of them, but only managed to hit one before the training program robot slammed into him, pushing him past the air lock completely. The air pressure dropped intensely and suddenly the entire hallway had become a vacuum.

He grabbed blindly, robot still on top of him until he found a support to hold onto.

He struggled with the robot, trying to get out from underneath of it. He mustered the rest of his strength and managed to get his legs underneath it and shove it off. Now that it no longer had anything to ground it it flew through the air into the vacuum of space.

"Ahh!" Lance's shout sounded far away and small. Keith hoisted himself up, holding onto the sides of the castle for dear life as he made his way closer to Lance.

He hoped that he was still holding on. When he finally managed to get to the air lock Lance's face was scrunched in fear, His eyes closed and his hair flying back. His grip seemed to be giving and he was being pulled out.

"Lance!" Keith shouted over the immense noise of the chamber. Lance opened his eyes at the voice, but instead of relief, he saw a flash of fear.

"Keith?" Lance asked. Now really wasn't the time for questions.

"Grab my hand!" Keith got as close as he could while still being stabilized on the outside of the airlock.

Lance looked at Keith's hand, purple, slightly furry, and with strong, sharp claws in the place of what once was fingernails.

"Hurry!" Keith shouted. Lance reached out suddenly and held tight. Keith pulled him back and smashed the buttons on the wall, closing the airlock on both ends.

They sat there, side by side, breathing heavily as air was pumped in overtime through the vents. When Keith felt like there was enough energy in his body he spoke.

"What the frell were you doing in an airlock? I thought that you were bonding with your lion." Lance looked at him, eyes droopy and tired.

"That was hours ago Keith." Keith's eyes widened. He had been in that training room for hours and not even realized it. "And I thought that I heard someone calling for help in there, but when I went in it shut behind me and started the count down. I thought that I was going to die." He let his head fall back against the wall. "I think the castle is trying to kill me."

"Me too. That robot chasing me was from the training room, it wouldn't deactivate." Lance cut his gaze back over to Keith.

"We should probably go find the others and see if they're having the same problems." Keith said quietly.

"Keith." Lance whispered. Keith raised an eyebrow. Lance saw this and groaned, knocking his head against the wall once before begrudgingly saying. "Thanks." It sounded more like an annoyed growl than a thank you, but Keith didn't say anything. Lance sighed and stood.

"Well, I don't know exactly where Allura and Shiro and Coran are, but I know where to find Pidge and Hunk. But," He paused and let his eyes slid up Keith's body. "I don't know how they will react to seeing you like this." He gestured vaguely at him.

"Is that why you hesitated to take my hand?" Keith raised his hand in front of his face. Lance watched. "Because you were surprised?" Lance crossed his arms over his chest.

"I was _not_ surprised. Just…" He trailed off weakly.

"Afraid then." Keith said, never taking his eyes from his hand as he made a mental list of the things that were different about it compared to his human hand.

"I wasn't afraid." He spit defensively. Keith was suddenly surprised as a warm brown hand wrapped around his own. "See." Lance said smugly as he looked down at Keith. Keith let his eyes slowly look up to meet Lance's ocean gaze. His smile was crooked and his eyes seemed to dance.

"Y-yeah. I see now." Keith stuttered out and pulled his hand back. Lance's smile didn't change.

"The others though. I don't know if they would be as cool about it as I am. After all, I am one of the coolest dudes on the ship." He held his hand out once again, but this time to help Keith up. Keith took it.

"Maybe if there weren't any other 'dudes' on the ship." Keith let a small smile take over his mouth as he teased Lance gently.

"Haha, you're just jealous of how cool I am." Lance said confidently, his shoulders strong and hands on his hips.

"Yeah, that's definitely what it is." Keith said as he slowly transitioned into his human form, taking a few steps away from the wall. Lance watched silently a small furrow in his brow as he moved beside Keith. Once he was full changed (Except the ears) Keith moved his gaze to Lance.

"Lead the way."

* * *

 **Hey all you people! Follow me on Tumblr at** **if you love this story, or voltron, or klance. I will have all of the art and update alerts for this story on there :) if you make art or any sort of post about the story tag it The Real Enemy, or TRE so I can find it. I love seeing that sort of thing, it makes it so that I know without a doubt people are enjoying the story! I love all of you guys 3**

 **~Rennwolf**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

When they arrived in the green lion's bay the door opened and Hunk and Pidge where both laying on the ground groaning.

"Come on guys! What are you doing taking a nap at a time like this! The Castle is going crazy!" Lance shouted as he walked over to them. They groaned in response. Pidge lifted her head up.

 _Are they serious? This is an emergency! The castle tried to kill him not five minutes ago and these two were laying on the floor._

"We _were_ trying to fix the computer with all of the blade information on it." She grumbled. Hunk pulled himself into a sitting position.

"We were stuck in zero gravity for like ten minutes!" Hunk whined. So the castle wasn't targeting specific people then. Lance raised an eyebrow, glancing to Keith to gauge his reaction. His eyebrows were furrowed in thought. His skin was changing ever-so-slightly into that dusty, dancing purple.

Pidge stood up and went back over to her computer, which sat on the floor along with most everything else. A table was turned on its side and all sorts of scientific looking devices were scattered around it. Hunk got up as well and Lance and Keith followed him to Pidge's side. There was a sigh of relief from Pidge.

"My computer is fine. Nothing external broke in the fall. Now, if only I could find the internal problem."

"You said that there was a virus? Where could it have come from?" Keith asked as he leaned in slightly closer.

"We've been trying to figure that out." Hunk said as he turned to look at the two of them. "We can't think of anything that could have caused this, Pidge wasn't having any problems with it yesterday."

"What is it doing to her computer?" Keith asked. Pidge answered him this time.

"It's not responding to anything I tell it to do; it won't run a diagnosis, it won't open or close any of my windows, and it won't let me access any of my coding files." She huffed out in one frustrated breath. "I can't even figure out what caused it, let alone how to fix it!"

There was a moment of silence as everyone wordlessly tried to figure out where the virus could have come from.

Lance quickly ran over the past few days. Keith was released from his make-shift prison after he woke up and they got some food. They started the tour and he ran into Shiro, who he knew. He told Shiro about the…

"Could it have been the chip from Shiro's arm?" Lance chimed in. All eyes turned to him, but not in the good way, in the, 'I can't believe that you just said that' kind of way. Especially from Keith, his eyes narrowed at Lance and his mouth slightly open, his ears tilted back in disdain. "I-I mean, you hooked it up to your computer _and_ the castle and now both are kind of…" He trailed off as the eyes around him grew wider and then glanced at each other.

"That's possible, but I ran a diagnostic on the chip, it was clean." Pidge said.

"It's alien tech, you've never had to deal with any alien viruses before." And it was true, none of them had needed to deal with anything of this sort before.

"So it could have been the chip?" Hunk asked.

"No." Said a firm, assertive voice. All eyes turned to Keith. "It's not possible. Ulaz gave Shiro that chip. He would never have put a virus in it, he wants Shiro to help the Blade, not…" Keith trailed off, his hands clenched in tight fists as he glared down to the floor, his ears folded tight against his head, almost blending into his hair. "He wouldn't."

Lance said nothing as he looked to Keith. He wanted to believe him, but all signs pointed to sabotage on Ulaz's part. On the Blade's part.

At this point Lance has stopped trying to keep track of how many times Keith has saved him. All he knew was that Keith could be trusted. Trusted to save him, and to help Voltron survive.

Maybe Ulaz had changed since Keith had last seen him. Maybe he's not the same.

 _Or maybe Keith is telling the truth._

But how? What could have possibly caused the castle and Pidge's computer to go bonkers like this?

"I know you guys don't believe me, but I'm telling the truth." Keith raised his head and met their eyes. "There has to be another factor. Something else." He took a breath and unclenched his fists. He let his ears fluff out and go back to a more neutral position.

"Okay, but what could it be?" Hunk asked.

"I don't-"

A loud wailing siren took over the rest of Keith's sentence. Everyone jumped up. Keith had his ears pressed firmly against his head. The castle wasn't reporting what the problem was and no one recognized the siren. After a quick glance at everyone else to see if they were thinking the same thing, Lance sprinted to the doors of the Green lion's bay.

Lance, being the one furthest from the door, ended up behind everyone else. They were all heading to the command room, where they could find what the cause of the siren was.

They were almost there, in the middle of passing by the last connecting corridor, when Lance spotted Shiro. He was about to call out to him when he realized something was wrong.

He was crouching down, holding his head in his hands, his face scrunched up in pain and fear. Lance whipped his head back to where the others should have been, but they hadn't noticed and were already sprinting into the command room. He only hesitated for a moment before he turned back to Shiro and ran to him.

"Shiro? Shiro!" Lance crouched down by his side. Shiro didn't respond, mumbling things to himself and trembling.

"Come on, snap out of it!" Lance shouted over the wailing siren. He didn't touch him, knowing that it could have an adverse reaction. Shiro's mumbles grew louder, his eyes still clenched tight together.

"My name is Takashi Shirogane. I was born on February 29th in Osaka Japan…" He continued mumbling, but Lance stopped listening.

"Shiro, come on. Shiro snap out of it! You are in the Castle of Lions." Lance tried a different approach. Shiro's mumbling slowed and quieted a bit. Lance continued. "You are the black paladin of Voltron."

"Voltron…"

"Yes! Yes! You are our leader!" Lance continued. Shiro's eyes cracked open, his breathing began to calm down.

"Come on Shiro, I'm right here."

"Lance?" Shiro's eyes opened further and focused on Lance.

"Yes, that's me." Shiro pulled his hands away from his head. "Shiro, what happened?"

"I… I thought I was…" Shiro looked around. He shook his head. "What is the siren for? What's going on?"

Lance gave him a concerned look. He would never know how Shiro was able to just switch back into Leader mode, especially after just having an attack like that. Lance wanted to push, to help, but he could see in Shiro's eyes that he wanted to move on, to forget the whole thing.

So he let it go and helped Shiro to his feet.

"We don't know what's going on, the sirens just started going crazy. Everyone is heading to the Command room right now." Lance explained. Shiro nodded his head. There was a moment of silence as they started to run to the Command room.

"I… I don't know why… I heard the sirens… My arm just started glowing and then…" He trailed off, but Lance understood.

"It's alright." Lance said confidently. "Everyone is here for you, so no worries." Lance smiled and took the last few steps into the command room.

That was when the extent of the situation hit him.

"Allura!" Shiro shouted, reacting instantly to the scene before him, and sprinting past Lance. Allura was standing in her command area, typing away furiously on her screen. Her hair was loose, surrounding her body like a cloud and her face was calm, almost serene. She had a small smile on her face.

The castle was wailing. Alarms screaming that something was wrong.

Pidge and Hunk were trying to talk to Allura from a few feet away. Keith was a bit further back, looking at a loss for what to do. Coran, who Lance hadn't noticed before, was at his station pressing buttons just as feverously as Allura herself. He turned away for just a moment to shout, "I can't counteract her orders anymore!"

"Princess what are you doing!" Shiro shouted as he ran closer.

"Shiro no!" Pidge shouted. Shiro ran right into a mini particle barrier around the princess. He flew back a few feet, landing on his side. Keith, who was closest, ran to him and pulled him up.

Lance watched in horror as Allura pushed one final button and they were suddenly they were being teleported through space.

"Allura, _what_ are you _doing_!" Shiro shouted, running to join the others where they stood around her.

"I can go home." Allura answered with a smile, her eyes closed. "Altea."

Lance moved closer, unsure of what to do. It was almost as if Allura had gone mad.

"Princess." Coran moved away from his station. "Altea is gone."

There was a sudden jerk, not enough to knock anyone off their feet, but enough to get their attention.

They had arrived.

A great blue star was shining brilliantly as the last of its light was burning away inside it. It was soon to become a super nova.

"That star is going to explode!" Pidge screamed.

"Altea." Allura smiled a little bit wider. "I'm home."

"Allura, that isn't Altea!" Shiro shouted.

"Altea is gone Princess!" Coran was as close to Allura as he could be without touching the particle barrier. "You know that Allura."

"Look, the juniberry!" As she spoke there was a flicker of something beside her, an image. "Oh I can't wait to land father." The image flickered again, but this time stayed.

It was the image of her father, King Alfor.

"What's happening?!" Lance shouted.

"I don't know! Something must have happened to Alfor's memory core!"

"The Virus! The Virus must have infected the core. Allura snap out of it!" Pidge screamed.

"1 dobash until supernova detonation." The castle's automated voice chimed out.

"Allura please, we need to go now!" Hunk shouted.

Alfor's image turned towards the group. "She can't hear you. She is on Altea now."

"You- _you!_ Let her go!" Pidge cried. Allura began to mumble something, Alfor turned to her.

"Yes, I remember that day." He mumbled back to her. "You'll be back with the juniberries soon."

Lance didn't know what to do. There seemed to be no way to talk to Allura, let alone force her to get the castle out of here. The others seemed to be at a loss as well. Pidge was shouting angrily at Alfor and Hunk was standing behind her, somehow managing to look equally terrified and furious. Shiro was trying to talk to Allura but none of his words seemed to be getting through to her. Coran was standing motionless, mouth open as he gazed at Alfor and Allura.

Keith was standing ears flattened, mouth agape, and eyes wide as he stared at the blue star. One foot was behind him towards the door, almost as if he thought that there was somewhere to run away to. It didn't matter where he went though, if Allura didn't turn around soon, they were all going to burn up in that star.

There was nothing to do. There was no way to fix this. It was hopeless.

Anything that might have been able to help was already being done. And it wasn't working. So what could Lance do?

 _Say goodbye._

With only a limited time left, goodbyes seemed to be the only thing left to do. With the sirens and the screaming there was no way to be heard without being close to the others and shouting as well, but Lance didn't bother. He looked to Hunk, and began to speak in a normal quiet voice.

"Hunk, thank you for being my best friend since freshman year at the garrison. Thanks for always cheering me up and having my back and knowing what to do when I'd fall into one of my 'funks.' You have such a big heart. _Buena suerte. Ten cuidado._ " Hunk didn't hear him, no one could after all, and he stood stock still in the same place that he had been when Lance had started.

"50 ticks until detonation." The castle said over the sirens.

 _Might have to move a little faster._

Lance shifted his focus to Pidge who was still screaming ferally at Alfor. "Pidge, Katie, you are so smart and fearless and I don't think anyone has told you that. You remind me so much of my little sister. I'm so thankful that you and I were able to become friends. _Buena suerte. Ten cuidado._ "

Next was Shiro. Lance chuckled. "I bet you never thought that this would be the way you went out. You are our leader, our friend, and the best damn role model any of us have ever known. You have your own demons, but you don't let us in. I understand that it's not easy, but I wish you would have let us help you more." His voice dropped a bit as his breathing stuttered and it broke a little when he said, " _Buena suerte. Ten cuidado."_

As he was turning his gaze to Allura the castle chimed out once more. "40 ticks until detonation."

"Allura, I can't even imagine how terrible it was to wake up out of your time and alone. Despite this you became our fearless commander, and a great friend. You are one of the strongest people I know. _Buena_ _suerte. Ten cuidado."_

There were tears falling gently from his eyes now. He wiped them away and smiled as he looked to Coran. "Coran, you were like the crazy uncle no one understands. But you always had a way to make us laugh or cheer up. In the short time I've known you I've come to see you as family, just like everyone else here. _Buena_ _suerte. Ten cuidado._ "

"30 ticks until detonation."

Lance took a shuddery breath and shut his eyes for a moment to try to get the burning sensation of tears to go away.

"And Keith." Lance opened his eyes and turned his head to the right to look at Keith where he stood a few meters away. Keith was looking directly at him, his own eyes glassy. His ears were turned in Lance's direction and were standing up at attention.

Lance felt his heart pound hard once, twice, and then forced himself to breath. Keith had heard everything.

In the background there was shouting, something about what Juniberries smelled like, but it was all white noise to Lance. Keith had heard everything. It wasn't like he wasn't allowed to hear, it's just that everything Lance had said was incredibly personal and he was a bit taken back by the fact that _Keith_ of all people had heard everything.

There was a jerk, one that sent Lance and Keith stumbling and flailing to try and catch their balance. Then it stopped and the sirens that had become a constant finally shut off. There was no more shouting, only the sound of quiet sobbing and silence. The blue light of the soon to be supernova was gone, replaced by a soft red glow coming from a nearby solar system.

Lance turned to the others and saw Allura doubled over her panel as she sobbed. Shiro and Coran were on either side of her and Hunk and Pidge were standing a few feet away, saying nothing.

He didn't know how they did it but they must have found a way to snap Allura out of her spell.

They were alive.

Lance wiped at his eyes. They were damp. No one could know. They would call him weak, make fun of him, lose trust in him.

There was a warm hand on his shoulder. He didn't take his head out of his hands, too ashamed of the red puffy eyes he was sure to be sporting.

"Hey Lance, why don't we go somewhere else for a bit? The others can take care of Allura." Keith's voice said quietly by his ear. He said nothing in response, just nodded his head once and let Keith guide him out. Lance kept his face down cast, he couldn't seem to get his tears to stop following despite how hard or often he rubbed at his eyes.

They went down a few hallways before they were far enough away to have some privacy. It was then that Lance slid down the wall and sat with his knees up to his chest. Keith sat beside him and didn't say a word. Lance let the tears fall, but stayed just as silent as Keith.

Lance waited to calm down. A minute, two, five. All of his thoughts were flying all of them a whirlwind, he was going to explode. Just start babbling.

And he did.

"I-I… They probably think that I'm weak." He started to speak faster, in a frenzied broken voice. "You think that too. I couldn't do anything to help. I just stood there and- and I was useless. I was so scared. We were going to die. There was no hope left, we were going to die, the Castle was going to kill us all. It tried to kill me alone too, and I would have died out in space all by myself in the cold-" Lance was suddenly pulled into a strong set of arms, his face buried in a warm chest and he didn't fight it, just sobbed and gripped onto the back of Keith's shirt like a little kid.

Keith rubbed his fingers through Lance's hair and quietly hummed while Lance cried, loud and powerful.

Lance didn't know what Keith was humming, a nameless tune he had never heard before, but he found it soothing. Like when his mother would sing in the kitchen while they made dinner together.

After a few minutes Lance took a deep breath and pulled himself together. He wiped his eyes, pulling away from Keith. Keith let him go.

"Sorry." He said and refused to meet Keith's gaze. He felt ashamed that he had done that.

 _Weak._

"You had a long day. Anyone would have felt the same after getting stuck in an airlock and thrown towards a supernova." Keith said with a smile. Lance looked at him and saw that his eyes were sad. Something in the pools of violet gray was off. His ears were droopy and his shoulders were sloping in towards himself.

"How about you? You got chased by a gladiator and were thrown into a supernova too." Lance asked.

Keith nodded his head and after a moment said, "Just remembering someone." Lance, not knowing what else to do pulled him in for another quick hug before standing and offering a hand to Keith. Keith took it.

"I don't think you're weak." Keith said. Lance furrowed his eyebrows and made a questioning noise in the back of his throat. "You said, 'You think that too.' That I thought you weak, but I don't." After a moment he added, "You are strong."

Lance snorted. "Real funny, Keith." He let a smile take over his lips.

"See. Right there!" Keith pointed at Lance's face. "It takes a will and a resolve that most don't have to smile like that after something like- like _this_ happens. Lance, you are strong. You say that everyone on the team always makes you smile, makes you happy. But it's your attitude, though strange and sometimes over exaggerated, that lets the team get comfortable and lets them feel at home. Your optimism lifts the entire team's spirt, even if they moan and groan at your jokes. You are a strong, important part of Voltron." Keith finished.

Lance stood stock still, tears blurring his vison once again. "Dammit Keith," He let out a laugh that was almost a sob, but he wouldn't let it be one. He wiped at his eyes. "I thought that I was done crying. Thanks a lot." Though it was sarcastic, he really did mean it. "If you keep doing things like this I'll never stop owing you." He looked to the floor with a soft smile while Keith looked at him with confusion.

"Owing me? You don't owe me anything Lance."

"Yes I do. I got you captured, but you saved my life, like, a ton of times. And now you're making me feel better. I owe you."

"Lance, I didn't do any of those things because I wanted you to owe me something." Keith said softly. "I just did it because it was something anyone would do."

"Just anyone. A stranger wouldn't risk their lives diving beside an airlock to pull someone out." Lance said stubbornly.

"Am I a stranger to you then?" He said it so quietly that Lance had to strain to hear it. When the words finally registered Lance was taken back. Of course Keith wasn't a stranger to him. He was his hero on more than one occasion after all. Did Keith not realize that they were friends?

 _Did_ I _not realize that we were friends?_

"Keith, you do know that we are friends, right?" Lance asked. Now that he thought about it, Keith didn't seem like someone who was around people often, maybe he really didn't know.

"We are?" Keith's head snapped up, his ears fluffing upwards and his eyes shining prettily. Whatever had been wrong earlier was forgotten now.

 _Adorable._

"Of course we are. Everyone on this ship is your friend Keith." Lance smiled as Keith's face broke out in a small smile full of surprise and pure joy.

"If you really feel like paying me back you should know that you being my friend is enough."

"Keith, that's lame. You need, like, something spectacular, with explosions and cool stuff like that." Lance said, emphasizing his point by waving his arms around and making a fake explosion with his hands.

Keith laughed and shook his head, saying explosions were the last thing he wanted while on a space ship.

They both began to walk back to the command room, Lance insisting on something big and Keith denying every suggestion or idea until they arrived.

"There you guys are, what were you doing? Taking a piss together?" Pidge said irritably when she saw them. Lance opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "No, I don't care. We are having a meeting, hurry up."

Lance watched Pidge's retreating form walk to the back of the Command room before shrugging and gesturing to Keith to follow him.

* * *

Hey guys. So this took a little longer than I would have liked. My Grandfather just lost his fight with Cancer and the family has been grieving. Yes, I will be alright, it's just seeing everyone else so distraught has been kind of hard.

On another note this story just hit 4o,000 words! I'm so excited! It actually ended up going over that! I wanted to thank you guys because my heart literally flutters every time I get a review! They are the only reason I keep writing this. Thank you for the love you guys :) I honestly need it!

Oh and if you haven't followed me yet get on over to my tumblr writterwithin


	15. Chapter 15

_Keith was going into the last Blade course that he could take at the age of 15. Most of the other cadets there were at least 18, but he had excelled through the ranks at an unprecedented speed due to his raw talent and extremely high drive to become stronger and smarter._

 _It seemed, though, that no matter what he did, no matter how much stronger or smarter he became, he couldn't get people to like him._

 _Most could acknowledge his power and intelligence. They could sense his impulsiveness, despite his best attempts to keep it under control. His determination was shadowed by no one. And he tried to be nice to people, he really did. But they were blinded from all of his attempts by simple things._

 _All of them could see his impurities. The fact that he was a partial was hard for some people to look past and most didn't even make an effort to try. Half of the battle of making friends was fitting in in the first place, and to do that he would have to change the way people viewed partials as a whole._

 _Unclean._

 _Unworthy._

 _Trash._

 _Impure._

 _But they weren't the mindless, mislead soldiers that were under Zarkon's rule. They could be persuaded, he truly believed it. If at least one person who was against them could change their minds about partials, then maybe someday, everyone could follow in their footsteps._

 _It would just take some work._

 _Keith arrived to his training ten minutes before everyone else showed up. This was an advanced swordsmanship class. One that was exclusive to only the most adept and hardworking cadets._

 _They would most certainly be assigned partners based on the skill shown during the entrance exam. Keith knew for a fact that he held the highest score._

 _This was good, he would get paired with the next best fighter. Popularity comes with skill (Unless of course you weren't_ pure _) so the person that he would be paired with was bound to be known by many others._

 _Well, they would have friends at least._

 _His plan was simple. Convince his new partner that partials were just as important as any other member of the Blade. Then become friends with them and get them to change others minds and lead by example._

 _So simple a child could do it in their sleep, right?_

 _Wrong. So very wrong._

 _There was a screen on the wall that held the names of the partners and the ranks they had scored. The lowest score was a 425. Anywhere below 400 was not admitted into the advanced class._

 _Keith had scored a 612. Keith's partner, whose name was beside his, had scored a 610. His name was Chorrol._

 _This was a bad start. There are only a few things that you would think about the person who beat you for the top slot by only two points and Keith didn't think that it would be the positive side of the few things._

 _He must have been pissed when he realized Keith had beat him by two points. Keith hadn't even known that he had almost been beaten, but he did know that if it had been him he would have been driven mad at how close he had come just to fall short at the last second._

 _People were beginning to arrive. All of them older and much larger than he was. As people checked the board and partnered up Keith began to wonder if his plan would work after all with the scores the way they were._

 _He didn't know what Chorrol looked like and he assumed that Chorrol wouldn't know what he looked like either, so he stuck close to the scoreboard and waited as person after person moved on._

 _He had been waiting for a while and was beginning to think that Chorrol would be a no-show when a small Galra boy- he must have only been six inches taller than Keith- hurried to the scoreboard._

 _"Late, late, late… Shouldn't have eaten breakfast…" The boy muttered under his breath as he ran his finger along the names, searching for his own. He started at the bottom and moved up, up, up. Until his finger was at the very top, right under the name Chorrol._

 _"I was beaten out by 2 points… By…" He moved his finger over to Keith's name. "Keith? Wait. The. Keith? I'm his partner!?" The boy, Chorrol, gasped. His dark yellow eyes widened and his mouth was agape. He smiled. "This is so cool!" He whisper shouted to himself._

 _Keith was a bit confused. He wasn't close enough that Chorrol had noticed him, but he could hear all of Chorrol's muttering quite clearly. He wasn't mad? He appeared to know who Keith was and he wasn't disgusted by him, so what was going on? It was almost as if he was in awe of Keith._

 _Deciding not to let this go on any longer he pushed himself off of the wall and approached Chorrol._

 _"Chorrol?" Keith asked, trying to be polite and not let in on the fact that he had been listening the whole time. Chorrol jumped at the sound of his name and turned to see Keith. His eyes went even wider than they had been before and he let out an accidental squeak._

 _"Yes…" He responded. Keith raised an eyebrow and let out a small, quiet laugh. Chorrol sounded down right nervous. If anyone was going to be nervous it should have been Keith._

 _"We are partners in this class. I'm Keith." Chorrol nodded his head, never taking his eyes off of Keith. After a second of silence Chorrol seemed to break out of his trance. He blinked and then jumped slightly._

 _"Um- It's nice to m-meet you, Keith." Chorrol held his hand out palm up for Keith to lay his own hand in. While Keith had offered this greeting to many potential friends he had almost never been offered a greeting from someone else. He didn't hesitate in completing the gesture though, placing his hand into Chorrol's light colored one._

 _There was something pulling at the edge of his hearing. He let himself reach out to it. It was the sound of whispers all around the room. He looked up from their hands to the people around the room. There were some groups, but most stood two by two with their partners. A few people were just talking happily amongst themselves, but there were others that were looking pointedly at Keith and Chorrol._

 _"Um…" Keith was beginning to feel isolated once again. Nothing he hadn't felt before, but he had hoped that with this class being so much older than him they would just ignore him. He withdrew his hand and unconsciously let his shoulders sink to make himself smaller than he already was._

 _Suddenly there was a clap on his shoulder pulling him from his thoughts._

 _"Don't worry about them, they're just mad that they all got beat by a couple of underclassmen." Chorrol said with a cocky smile. He seemed to have broken out of his nervous state._

 _"You're an underclassmen too?" Keith asked as Chorrol pulled his hand back and began to walk away from the scoreboard, Keith following behind him._

 _"Yeah! Not as young as you though. I'm 16 and a half." He said with a grin as they found a secluded spot._

 _"You're 16!?" Keith's brows knit together in confusion. He knew that other people had advanced before the average age before, but he had never met one that was, well, to be frank, almost as small as him._

 _"Yeah," He rubbed at the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "I'm what you call the runt of the family. Probably won't get much bigger."_

 _Keith smiled a bit at that. "At least you're bigger than me, I can't even reach most of the middle shelves in this stupid base." Chorrol laughed and Keith laughed with him. It was strange. He hadn't been able to talk with someone like this (other than his family) in so long. It was nice._

 _"Can I be honest with you?" Chorrol asked, smile slowly fading from his face into a more neutral expression._

 _"Uh, sure." Keith said, slightly confused._

 _"Well, um… Okay, this is kind of embarrassing but," He sighed and looked down to his shoes. "You are kind of my hero. It's so weird talking to you like this." He bit his lip._

 _Keith didn't know what to say._ He _was someone's_ hero _? There was no way. Everyone made fun of him, looked down on him for being a partial. He was a no one._

 _"You're kind of famous actually." Chorrol looked up from the floor to meet Keith's eyes._

 _"How? I'm just a nobody partial." Keith said averting his gaze to his shoes. They were black and gray._

 _"No, you really are! Well, maybe not here on the command base, but on all of the outlying bases you're almost like a myth. I'm from a far base and a poor family. As the runt I wasn't expected to succeed in much and was almost a disappointment to the entire family." Chorrol's voice became somber for a moment as he thought over his words. Keith watched him. "But then I heard about you from a friend at my school. She said that the smallest partial the command base had ever seen was excelling though the ranks and getting top marks on all of his trainings. She said that you were the nicest person on the entire base and-"_

 _"Wait, wait, wait." Keith cut him off, waving his hands around. "Who told you all of that?" Keith didn't know how anyone could have possibly known about him in the outlying bases. Almost all communication between bases was only for intelligence transfers, they didn't want the Galra accidently stumbling across a rouge signal. All communication was for important matters only._

 _"Oh, one of my old friends. She's actually a little bit younger than me, but when she moved to my base her family's housing unit was set up right next to mine so we became close friends. She's actually a partial herself. But you wouldn't know unless she told you and I didn't even know until months after I had-" He paused, noticing Keith's wide eyes and slightly raised eyebrow. "I'm rambling aren't I?" Keith nodded slowly once. "Did I even tell you her name yet?" Keith shook his head no. "Sorry, sometimes I get a little side tracked and ramble. My friend's name is Aubr. She-"_

 _"Aubr!" Keith shouted in surprise. Eyes turned to them and Keith's cheeks darkened in embarrassment. It had been 3 years since he had talked to or seen Aubr. He had missed her ever since she had left, but he had never thought that Aubr would have spoken so highly of him to others._

 _"Yeah! Do you know her?" Chorrol asked with a smile but didn't give him time to answer before he was talking again. "She's so cool. You know she's coming to this base on a scholarship in a month. For her skills with a knife. She's scary good with that thing, one time she pulled a dagger on me and I was so terrified that I-"_

 _"She's coming here? Chorrol, you said that she was coming here?" Aubr was coming here. He was going to be able to see his best and only friend, again._

 _"Yeah, in a month. She had been working for that scholarship for over a year even though a bunch of other trainers had offered her other scholarships. She refused, said she wanted to go here, wanted to meet up with an old friend…" Chorrol seemed to think this over for a moment before realization dawned in his eyes. "You're the old friend!?" He groaned and ran his hand down his purple gray-face as he looked to the ceiling. "How am I supposed to compete with_ Keith _!? Keith of all people!"_

 _"Compete?" Keith asked confused. Chorrol froze._

 _"Me and my big mouth. I sometimes think out loud." He pulled his hand away from his face. "It's strange talking to you, someone I really look up to, like a little schoolgirl, but I really like Aubr. Like, you know…" Keith cocked his head to the side in silent question. "You're going to make me say it aren't you?" He waited a moment before sighing. "I have a crush on Aubr. Like, a ridiculous crazy out-of-hand crush."_

 _"And?" Keith said._

 _"And, you probably like her too, and she thinks you're like the best thing ever-"_

 _"Chorrol, we're just friends." Keith said with a smile._

 _"You don't like her like that?"_

 _"No." Keith laughed. "She was one of the only people who would be my friend here, we are just friends."_

 _"Really?" A pause. "No one would be friends with you?" Chorrol asked quietly. Keith's ears, which usually moved without his notice, folded flat on his head as he was reminded of his loneliness._

 _"People around here aren't too fond of partials." Keith said somberly._

 _"The same can't be said for the outlying bases. Partials and pures work together out there. I don't know why so many people have sticks shoved up their asses out here…" Chorrol's ears were folded down and he had a look on his face like he had tasted something extremely sour. Keith laughed at him._

 _"You know Keith, I'll be your friend. I don't care if you're a partial, you seem like a really cool person." Chorrol smiled. Keith frowned._

 _"If you become friends with me you won't be able to make friends with anyone else around here. You will be isolated." Keith tried to stress this. It was true, and he didn't want someone like Chorrol getting suck alone. He didn't want anyone to feel the isolation that he was stuck in, but he didn't want to be stuck in it either._

 _"Who would want to be friends with someone who disliked someone because of something they can't control? I don't need any friends like that, don't worry about it Keith. And once Aubr gets here she'll be your friend too. We'll have a nice little group." Chorrol smiled so softly that Keith couldn't help the shift in his heart._

 _Not just Aubr, but Chorrol too. He… he had friends. He felt his eyes begin to sting slightly with the burn of tears. A smile took over his face as he wiped them away._

 _"That sounds really nice Chorrol."_

…

Keith and Lance took the last two seats at the table for the meeting. Everyone around the table was silent for a moment, collecting their individual thoughts, before Coran spoke.

"A virus took over the castle." He stated simply before continuing. "It forced Allura to destroy King Alfor's memory core and made her create _and_ jump through worm holes. All of the scaltrite that was already cracked is now completely destroyed. There is no way to jump. We will have to get more scaltrite before we can go anywhere else. But right now we need to figure where the virus originated and make sure that the castle is _entirely_ cleansed of it." Coran spoke with a strange authority. One that was reluctant, but necessary.

Allura sat beside him, tear stains on her cheeks, silently looking at her hands in her lap. She seemed absolutely drained. Shiro sat close by her, acting as a silent support without even touching her.

"We believe that it had something to do with the chip from Shiro's arm." Pidge said.

"It wasn't the chip, it had to have been something else." Keith countered before Coran could say anything. However, Shiro was the one to speak.

"Wait, you think this had something to do with my arm?" Shiro asked, raising his arm slightly to be better seen by everyone.

"No just the chip from…" Pidge started but trailed off. She didn't say anything, but Keith was following her train of thought.

"That's Galra tech isn't it?" Keith asked Shiro, even though he knew the answer. Shiro nodded his head. Keith wondered why he hadn't thought of this earlier. "All Galra tech has a failsafe, when it detects a foreign object it takes over and infects it so that it can't overpower the Galra commands. It only works once, I guess they could only put in enough data for one virus, so it won't happen to your arm again. But that must have been what happened to the chip."

"How do you know this?" Shiro asked.

"Well the Blade…" He sighed. "We've had this problem before, and we finally figured out what the cause was only recently. Three weeks ago to be exact. Ulaz wasn't with the Blade when we found this out. He was probably on his way back from helping you escape actually. He wouldn't have known the affect that your arm would have on the chip."

"So is it still in the castle?" Coran asked. "Do you know how to kill it?" Keith shook his head.

"The virus will plant itself into the most technologically advanced area it can find. I'm assuming that was Alfor's memory core. Since that was…" a single tear fell from Allura's eye, but her neutral, empty expression didn't change. "It should be gone from the castle." Keith finished.

Everyone was silent for a long moment. Thinking over the past hour or so. They were beginning to feel drained. Strung out. They just wanted to be able to rest, but they all knew that there wasn't time to do that.

"Scaltrite. You said we needed scaltrite Coran?" Shiro asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes. Scaltrite. We can gather scaltrite from a Weblum. The only problem would be finding a Weblum with all of the castles targeting systems out of whack. The very _first_ thing that must be done is to fix up the castle until it is past a state of 'barely functioning' which is going to take all of you."

"Alright then. Let's get started."

Coran assigned groups of two based on skills. Allura and Pidge were to work on the castle's internal systems. Allura translating the Altean and Pidge interpreting the code.

Hunk and Shiro, who were the strongest, were going to help Coran get supplies from the supply room. They were also going to repair some of the panels outside of the Castle that were damaged by the solar radiation of the supernova.

Keith and Lance were given one of the most-dull jobs. "I need you two to go down to the Teludav room and remove all of the destroyed scaltrite disks and fix any grained stems. There should be a couple of plaquiatodes down there for you to use. You remember what to do Keith?"

Keith nodded his head slightly and tried to remember. If he couldn't remember, there was always trial and error after all…

"Good. Off with you then."

They walked down to the Teludav room in a silence that wasn't awkward or thick. It was a nice, thoughtful silence.

A few hallways before they reached the Teludav though, Lance spoke. "Keith, once we finally make contact with the Blade, what happens?" Lance's voice was small and quiet, almost as if he accidently spoken his internal thoughts aloud.

Keith looked over to him with confusion and a bit of concern. "Well, first we will establish an alliance. Then the Blade and the Castle of Lions will probably create a line of communication. After-"

"No I mean, what happens to you?" Lance cut him off. Keith cocked his head to the side. Lance's expression was neutral, but his shoulders were stiff, as if anticipating a bad answer.

"Well, I assume that I'll go back to the BOM base and await my next mission after seeing my family."

Saying it out loud somehow made it more final. He wanted to take the words back, shove them back down his throat where they came from, as if it would change the inevitable. He was going to have to leave the Voltron team and go back to his family once they made contact.

But it felt like whatever he did, he was losing something. Family. Or friends.

And it was nice having friends again.

 _It was nice having a friend again._

 _Chorrol had gotten to Command base on a scholarship for his swordsmanship skills. The day that Keith had met him they did drills together and more than once Chorrol had found himself with the upper hand. It had been a while since he had gone up against someone just as skillful as him that was roughly the same age. The fact that he had lost a few times just made Keith even more determined to get better._

 _He trained more in his free time, and often Chorrol came with him. Alone they were each equally amazing and talented, but when they teamed up they were unstoppable._

 _But being unstoppable didn't stop people from discriminating against Chorrol for being friends with Keith. Often people would sneer at the two of them as they passed by. People would make jokes and spread rumors about Chorrol, things like, "He must be a Halfling too." And "I bet Keith is holding his family hostage so that he has to be friends with him." And it only got more ridiculous from there._

 _One time a small group of lower ranking Blade cadets discouraged Chorrol from being Keith's friend right in front of him. It was only after Chorrol had known Keith for two days, but that didn't seem to matter._

 _"You shouldn't hang out with that Halfling. He's dirty." That wasn't the end of it. "You're very skilled, you wouldn't want to waste that talent." The larger Galra boy had said condescendingly. He towered over both Chorrol and Keith._

 _"He isn't dirty, but your mouth seems to be, maybe you should go clean it?" Chorrol had responded coolly, shoving past the boy with Keith right behind him. Keith could hear the boy's mouth snap shut from where it had been hanging open in disbelief after they had passed._

 _Something in Keith shifted and his heart pounded in his chest with elation. When they had gotten far enough away Chorrol stopped and turned towards Keith._

 _"That guy was an asshole. I can't believe he said that." He said angrily. Then, faster than a blink he was smiling and laughing. "Did you see the look on that guys face though? Ah, it was so great."_

 _Keith nodded in agreement, smiling widely. "You were so cool! Did you hear his mouth shut after we passed?"_

 _"What, seriously? No, I didn't!" Chorrol asked with disbelief, a wide smile stuck on his face. Keith liked that smile, it was like looking at pure joy._

 _"Yeah, it was awesome!"_

 _People still harassed Chorrol after that, but it had become less of something that Keith worried about and more of a simple annoyance. Nothing that he needed to be concerned about, just something that bothered him._

 _The first time Chorrol came to his housing unit after training Thace had been home._

 _When he saw Chorrol his eyes widened and he snapped his gaze to Keith with a large grin. Keith felt himself go tense, knowing that his dad was thinking about something and that it probably wasn't going to end well for him._

 _"Hi dad, this is Chorrol." Keith said cautiously, inching closer to Chorrol, as if to protect him from something._

 _"I'm Keith's friend." Chorrol smiled and held out his hand in greeting to Thace, not at all shy._

 _Thace smiled even wider and didn't hesitate to complete the greeting. "I'm Keith's dad, Thace. It's nice to meet you."_

 _"Wait, you're_ the _Thace?" Chorrol's eyes widened and an awestruck expression made its way onto his face._

 _"Yeah, the spy who can slice you in half with a single sword stroke if you harm a hair on my son's head." An evil and intimidating smile beat down onto Chorrol from Thace._

 _This was what Keith had been afraid of. He was going to scare away Chorrol before he could even get three steps past the doorway._

 _Chorrol inhaled sharply before exclaiming, "You could cut me in half with one strike! That would make you even stronger than anyone I know!" He was gazing up at Thace's confused stare with amazement._

 _Thace was silent for a moment before he laughed loudly. "I like this one Keith."_

 _Keith laughed nervously. "O-okay dad, we are going to go to my room now." Keith shoved Chorrol (gently) into the direction of his room to make his retreat. That was where he showed him his comics and old folk lore books. Before Keith had even picked up the first book though Chorrol let out an audible, shaky breath. Keith looked back at him in a silent question._

 _"Dude, your dad is scary." Chorrol said, shuddering. Keith laughed at him, a bit confused._

 _"I thought you said he was cool?"_

 _"Oh no, he's totally cool, but he's also scary." Keith just laughed at him again._

 _Keith and Chorrol were almost inseparable by the time a month had passed. They worked hard and trained every day. They would run and explore the base, occasionally causing mischief (Nothing too big that Keith's Dads could know about) and they would talk like they had been friends for years._

 _Every once in a while they would talk about Aubr. Chorrol could go on about her for hours, all sorts of stories where they would go and just have fun. His face would light up and he would smile so wide that when he talked it sometimes made his voice sound just a little bit different. All of those things were the reasons why Keith loved to listen to Chorrol talk about her._

 _He loved the warm feeling he got in the pit of his stomach when Chorrol smiled like that. And the way that his heart pounded when he laughed made Keith want to fly._

 _And it was beginning to become troublesome the way that, no matter what he did, those feelings didn't go away._

 _…_

 _Keith tried not to take advantage of the fact that he was Kolivan's son. He didn't want anyone to think that he was spoiled or that he didn't earn the ranks he held by getting his father to influence the trainers. However, before Aubr arrived he asked his dad, very nicely, to tell him where she would be staying and when she would get here. It took a bit of convincing but Kolivan eventually gave in and asked the people in charge of the training unit for Aubr's information._

 _That was how Keith and Chorrol found their way to the air-docks a few minutes prior to her arrival._

 _Chorrol was an anxious mess. He was shifting his weight from foot to foot every few ticks and clicking his nails together nervously. His ears swiveled rapidly at anything that sounded remotely like Aubr's ship arriving and he was constantly biting at his lip._

 _Chorrol's fidgeting was so intense that if was making Keith restless._

 _"Why are you so…?" Keith gestured to Chorrol vaguely._

 _"You just gestured to all of me." Chorrol stilled a bit, crossing his arms over his chest._

 _"Well I mean… All of you is pretty jittery right now." Keith said neutrally. Chorrol gasped._

 _"I am_ not _jittery, thank you very much. I'm just…" Chorrol trailed off, not finding a word to finish his sentence. Keith finished for him._

 _"Nervous."_

 _"I am not nervous!" Chorrol said indignantly, stepping out of his closed off body language and standing tall._

 _"You know that Aubr is going to be excited to see you. You don't need to worry." Keith smiled, hoping that Chorrol would calm down and relax._

 _He did. But then he was right back to clicking his nails and biting his lip._

 _"What if she doesn't remember me?" Chorrol turned to Keith with such a concerned look that Keith became slightly worried. Chorrol was actually afraid that Aubr had forgotten him._

 _Keith held in his laughter because he knew Chorrol was incredibly concerned about it, but he couldn't held the amused smile that found his lips. "Chorrol." Chorrol's full attention was on him. "It's been a month and a half since you left. I don't think she is going to forget her friend of 3 years over a month and a half." Keith reasoned._

 _His logic seemed to work. Chorrol looked away from Keith and nodded his head once, then twice before sighing and getting a hold of himself._

 _"Yeah… Yeah, you're right Keith."_

 _"Usually." Keith teased. Chorrol stuck his tongue out in response._

 _"Chorrol!" A female shout sounded out from behind the two of them before Chorrol was being crushed in a hug._

 _"Aubr? Aubr!" Chorrol said loudly, trying to get a look at his attacker while squished up against her chest._

 _"Oh it's good to see you again!" She said as she relinquished her grip on him. Chorrol said nothing as he looked up at her with a huge grin._

 _And he did have to look up. Aubr was taller than both of them, about average height for a female Galra her age. Keith was maybe as tall as her chest._

 _But that wasn't the only thing that was different about her. She wore her hair in a long braid over one shoulder, but still had the bangs that were brushed to the side. She wasn't stuttering and she didn't seem to mind that she was making a scene here on the air-dock._

 _She glanced up from where she had been looking at Chorrol and her face lit up once again when she saw Keith._

 _"Keith," She took a step closer to him. Keith didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say to someone that he had been missing for 3 years._

 _Aubr took care of that for him. She pulled him into a soft embrace. Keith's arms were limp at his sides, but when he realized that she wasn't going to let go he put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer._

 _He will deny it now, but he may have gotten a little misty eyed as she pulled away. The relief and joy of having her back taking over his emotions for a moment._

 _"It's good to have you back."_

 _"It's good to be back."_

 _…_

"Keith… Are you sure that you would have to go?" Lance asked quietly. Keith blink his memories away and refocused on the present.

"I can't think of a reason that I would stay with Voltron when the Blade needs me…" It sounded harsh. It was harsh, and try as he might he really could not think of a valid reason to stay. 'My friends are here' wasn't valid.

"Oh." Lance said. He said nothing else until they got to the Teludav room. When they opened the chamber that held the Scaltrite both of them couldn't help but to gasp.

"How are they _that_ _destroyed_?!" Lance exclaimed, staring wide eyed at the sheer amount of damage done to the disks. Keith sighed.

"What do we clean this with?" Keith didn't even know where to start. Every single disk was shattered and strewn about the chamber and neither of them had thought to ask about what they were going to 'remove the scaltrite' with.

"Do we use our hands? It would be so much better if we had a broom…" Lance sighed. "I guess one of us will have to go all the way back and get a broom from Allura…" Lance's voice was suggestive. Keith turned to him and caught his eye.

There was a silent note of agreement before both of them were shouting "Not it!" in perfect sync.

"Oh, you lose, you were slower." Lance grinned. Keith narrowed his eyes at him.

"No, it was a tie."

"Not this again. I won, just go back to Allura and ask for a broom."

"Lance, I don't even know what a broom is." Keith reasoned.

Lance scoffed. "How do you not…" He looked Keith up and down for a moment before his eyes paused on Keith's ears. "Oh yeah…" Lance exhaled dramatically. "Fine. You win this one. You might as well get started on the other thing Coran was talking about while I'm gone." He turned on his heel and walked towards the door. Without turning around he said, "Be back in 5."

Keith just sighed and shook his head, a small smile on his face.

 _Now, to find a plaquiatode._

He took in his surroundings, scanning the immediate area for the stick-like tool.

However, his search was suddenly interrupted by a blaring announcement over the intercoms, accompanied by a wailing alarm.

"Intruder! There is an intruder in Docking bay 1! Paladins stop them!" Allura's frantic voice shouted over the system, making Keith's ears fold down against his skull at the shrillness of it.

Docking bay 1 was only a few hallways down from where he was now. Keith reached for his sword.

"They are coming towards the command room!" Allura shouted. She must be looking at the cameras, at least they were working.

Keith pulled his sword defensively in front of him and stepped out into the hall. The intruder would have to go through this hallway to get to the command room. All he had to do was wait.

"Hey! Get back here!" He heard Lance's shouting before he actually saw him. "Who are you!?" He was closer. He must have been chasing them.

 _Perfect. We've got them cornered._

Keith tightened his stance and waited, hearing to sets of footsteps rapidly approaching.

5…4…3…

"Hey! Stop!" Lance shouted as the figure rounded the corner at a sprint. Keith pulled his arm back, about to slice into the figure with his sword, but halted before he had even begun his downward stroke.

The intruder stopped abruptly in front of Keith, seemingly just as surprised as he was.

"Keith?"

* * *

 **Longest chapter yet guys! 5K and I hope to keep making the chapters progressively longer.**

 **So what do you all think of Aubr and Chorrol? (10 points to anyone who knows where his name is from) I have plans for them MWHAHAHA ;)**

 **If you haven't already done it, follow my tumblr writterwithin! I'm going to have art for this story up there soon!**

 **Thank you guys for all of the kind comments! They made me smile so hard my cheeks hurt!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Ulaz?" Keith asked in a questioning voice. He would know that voice and armor anywhere. This was Ulaz.

They stood silently looking at each other for a moment before Ulaz was sweeping towards Keith and scooping him into a crushing hug, causing Keith to drop his sword in the process.

"Put him down!" Lance's voice rang out. Keith could see him over Ulaz's shoulder. He had his Bayard gun aimed at Ulaz's back and a look of grim determination on his face.

"No, Lance!" Lance's eyes darted over to meet Keith's violet gray gaze. "It's okay." Keith said much quieter in a calm voice. Lance didn't seem to know what to do. He trusted Keith, but he had no idea what was going on. From his perspective a huge alien intruder had just infiltrated the castle and suddenly scooped Keith into a hug.

Keith put his arms around Ulaz's shoulders, returning the hug for a moment. He could feel Ulaz's slightly ragged breath, but Keith didn't think it was from running around the castle. He was crying.

Keith patted Ulaz's back a few times in a signal to put him down. Ulaz complied and once Keith's feet were back on the ground he looked to Lance, whose gun was still raised.

"This is Ulaz. He's the Blade of Marmora member that saved Shiro." Keith explained. Lance slowly let himself lower his gun. Ulaz reached up to his face mask and pulled it off. He wiped the tears from his face and turned to Keith.

"Everyone at the Blade believes you're dead. Thace and Kolivan have been grieving." Ulaz said, relief and sorrow mixing equally in his voice.

"Dead? Why wouldn't they just assume that my position had been compromised and I hadn't been able to make contact yet?" Keith asked, confused.

"The ship you were on was destroyed completely. There were no other fleets nearby and no escape pods were activated." Ulaz bit his lip and sighed before continuing. "It was assumed that you had gotten trapped in the ship before it blew up."

Keith felt his heart stop beating for a moment. He felt his ears fold down and his eyes widen as the terror that he had been trying to forget for so long began to boil up in his chest.

 _Flashes of purple light were all he could see by. Sirens wailed and screamed and pierced at his eardrums. His breath was ragged and his legs burned from running so hard._

 _There were friendly footsteps beside him._

 _There were hard metallic steps behind._

 _The flash drive dug into his right palm, his sword hilt was gripped tightly in his left. Various cuts and bruises throbbed with every beat of his heart._

 _They were so close._

A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his living nightmare. "Keith, you are okay." Ulaz voice calmed him and he took a breath.

"Lance, Keith! What is going on?" Allura's voice over the speakers broke the group from their thoughts.

"It's alright Allura. We are going to meet you in the command room. He's a Blade." Lance said loud enough for the speakers to catch his voice. He nodded his head to Keith and let his Bayard deactivate back into his paladin armor.

Lance had given them his trust.

"Alright," was all Allura said before the slight hum of the speakers disappeared and she was gone.

Lance walked over to Keith and Ulaz, then the group began walking to the command room.

"So what happened? How did you escape?" Ulaz asked. Keith thought for a moment.

"Well… after I had infiltrated the ship I began looking for where the quintessence signature originated. On my way there I saw Lance," Keith gestured to Lance, who was beside him. Taking a moment to gage his reaction he noticed that Lance had a strange mixture of concern and amusement on his face. "He was being chased by three-"

"There were at least five." Lance cut in. Keith said nothing, but felt a laugh rise in his throat.

"-Five sentries and he was screaming like a little girl." Keith smirked when he heard Lance gasp.

"I was _not_ -" He started. Keith talked over him.

"And I was a bit confused at first, but I noticed that he didn't have a weapon and all he could do was defend himself. Anyways, one of the sentries caught him off guard and he went down. They swarmed him and…" He trailed off for a moment trying to remember what he had been thinking at that moment. "I blew my cover and fought off the sentries."

Ulaz cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "You broke protocol to save him… Why?"

Keith turned his gaze from Ulaz to Lance. Lance's face was neutral, but his blue eyes were shining with curiosity.

"He was fighting _against_ the sentries so that put him on our side… He needed help, and I guess that I was curious of him. Something about him made me want to help." He answered weakly. There had just been something that had called him to action and before he knew it he had been fighting off the sentries.

Ulaz looked from Keith to Lance then back to Keith again. Something close to scrutiny flashed across his face before he grunted and turned away from both of them.

"Didn't think that it would happen to you." He mumbled but didn't further explain what he meant.

Keith and lance shared a similar look of confusion at his words but neither questioned him when he moved on, saying, "So after you saved him from the sentries you went with him back to this ship?"

"No. Not quite…" Keith pulled at his sleeves as he mulled over his words. "When I finished off the last of the sentries he was gone, had already started running towards where the quintessence reading was coming from. I followed him until we got into the room that it was being held. I called out to him and…" He glanced over to Lance. He was looking straight ahead with a small smile.

"And I turned around and shot at him with my Bayard because he scared the shit out of me." Lance finished for Keith. "Lucky for him I didn't have time to aim." Keith stuck his tongue out at Lance.

"Lucky for me I have training in evasive maneuvers." Lance stuck his tongue out at Keith in retaliation. Keith shoved the side of his face playfully, forcing Lance a few feet away. "I was hiding on top of the shelving units, trying to get the drop on him to take his weapon, when sentries and some Galra commanders finally got in. They got to Lance but I was still hidden." Keith paused. "Then…"

 _"Let me- Let GO OF-" The man's shout was cut short and the room became startlingly quiet. It was the deafening kind of quiet that whispered bad ideas into people's ears. With Keith's amazing hearing it might as well have been shouting ill advices to him._

 _He only took a single moment of consideration before he turned back and leapt one unit over to peer down to the group of soldiers from above. It seemed the man was recovering from a blow to the head by the butt of one of the many guns still aimed at him. He wasn't unconscious, but he probably wished he was. There was a thick trail of blood running down from his forehead into his eyes._

 _Two sentries were holding him up by his arms on either side of him. His eyes were rolling back into his skull._

 _"Take him to the druids," said one of the only two real Galra in the room. Keith choose that moment to jump down and begin the fight. It was a rough tooth and nail fight, but Keith managed to wipe out the two Galra and a couple sentries. He remembered almost none of the fight as pure instinct had taken over him and guided him thoughtlessly._

"…Then he came out of nowhere and saved my ass." Lance said, pulling Keith from the past he had been reliving.

"And that was when you took him back to your ship?" Ulaz pushed, assuming that was the end of the story.

"Ah…" Lance allowed a bashful grin to spread across his face. His voice was hesitant as he continued. "No, after he saved me Shiro knocked him out cold and I convinced the team to bring him back onto the ship while he was unconscious." Keith could feel how uncomfortable Lance was talking about how he had been the one to bring Keith back to the ship. He was practically shouting it with the hunched shoulders and the way he was grabbing at his armor rather than meeting either of the two's gazes.

"I see." Ulaz mused quietly. Lance visibly flinched at his voice. "A decision that saved Keith from the ship's explosion." Ulaz peered around Keith to make eye contact with Lance that he couldn't avoid. "It was a wise decision, you have a strong heart." Ulaz sent a slight nod and small smile in Lance's direction, the actions seeming to physically lift his spirts as Lance squared his shoulders and stopped fidgeting with his armor.

Keith couldn't help but to be surprised by Ulaz's actions. Ulaz was not one to 'warm up' to strangers quickly. If he was to trust you, you would have to prove you were worth trusting. The same was to be said with respect.

But somehow Lance had managed to earn his respect, trust, and _praise_ in just a few minutes. Keith gave Ulaz a questioning look that he met, but did not answer.

The group of three was the last to arrive in the command room. Shiro, and Hunk had come back from restoring the panels on the outside of the castle. Coran had finished gathering the necessary materials to fix up the castle and Pidge and Allura had been there the whole time.

When they entered the room went silent and all attention was turned to Ulaz. Ulaz, however, was more focused on Shiro.

"Champion." Ulaz said in awe. Shiro visibly stiffened at being called that.

"Shiro. Call me Shiro." Ulaz nodded.

"I am Ulaz of the Blade of Marmora." Ulaz introduced himself to the entire room, bowing his head slightly.

"I am Princess Allura, pilot of the Castle of Lions and leader of Voltron. What is the meaning of your unannounced arrival?" Allura's voice was harsh and short, but she was trying to control herself. That much was obvious by the deep breath she took before letting it out _very_ slowly.

"I apologize for my intrusion, Princess. When the Blade's radars picked up on this ship heading in the direction of our base I had no choice but to follow and investigate. It took a bit of time to track you down. When I finally did I was left with no other option. I didn't know whether or not you would warp out of reach again, I had to infiltrate your ship." Allura nodded once in acknowledgement.

"I see." Suddenly she let out another breath. This one seemed to hold all of the tension in her shoulders, because as she let it out her shoulders went from ridgid and stiff to relaxed. She closed her eyes for just a moment before turning her gaze from Ulaz to Keith.

"You trust him?" She asked.

She had asked Keith for his opinion. His take on the situation. Keith was actually surprised.

There was no reason for her to do that unless _she_ trusted _Keith_. Which would mean that she had found a way to look past her blind hatred towards Keith's Galra side. Allura had changed. She believed in Keith and was at least _trying_ to move past the evil that the Galra had done to her in the past.

 _"Keith, you do know that we are friends, right?"_

 _"We are?"_

 _"Of course we are. Everyone on this ship is your friend Keith."_

Had Lance really been telling the truth? Everyone, even Allura, thought of Keith as a friend? Or at the very least didn't hate or discriminate against him?

He glanced to Lance briefly before answering Allura. "Yes, I trust him." She nodded her head again.

"Alright then. Ulaz, do you have a way of getting in contact with the Blade? I would like to negotiate an alliance with the leader of the Blade of Marmora." She took a breath. "I would also like to make sure that Keith can get home."

The strangest mix of joy and sorrow rose in his chest at her words. One of the only things he had wanted when he first got here was to get back to the Blade. Now, the thought of leaving the Voltron paladins and never seeing them again made his stomach twist and his heart clench.

But he had to go back home. He had unfinished business there and he had to see his dads again.

He met Allura's pointed gaze and nodded, a silent confirmation, 'yes, I have to go back home.'

"Yes princess, my ship has a way to speak to the Blade. However, if you wish to form an alliance, it may be in your best interest to meet with Kolivan first. My ship only has audio capabilities."

"That is fine. I would like to speak with him first anyways." Allura insisted.

"As you wish. Follow me to my ship." Ulaz gestured to the doorway, taking a few steps towards it.

"I'm coming with you Princess." Shiro said as he moved to walk by her side. No one said anything against him.

Keith was suddenly torn. Stay with the paladins or go with Ulaz. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but there was something in his gut telling him his decision would matter. Something telling him to choose wisely.

"Keith, are you coming?" Ulaz had turned back and was waiting for him.

"Umm…" Keith looked back to the other paladins. They weren't paying attention, Coran had called them over to discuss what other repairs needed to be done to the Castle.

"Keith?" Ulaz asked again, a bit more firmly. Keith turned to him, pausing only a second more before he made his way over to the stalled group.

...

Ulaz's ship was small and meant for tactical maneuvering and stealth, meaning there wasn't much room for all four of them in the tiny cockpit. There was a small sliver of space between Ulaz and Allura, but Allura and Shiro were squished together. Keith decided to stay further back to allow for more room for the others.

Ulaz typed away at his keyboard for a moment before a connection was established.

"I need to speak with Kolivan at once." Ulaz spoke without waiting for the other end to respond.

"Ulaz?" A female voice chimed back. "You shouldn't make contact with this line unless there is an emergency, what is going on?"

"Look, I have found potential allies. I need to speak with Kolivan." He pushed. Keith knew that he was already becoming annoyed with the slight delay with the way he gripped the ship's console tightly.

"I can't do that-" The woman said harshly.

"Why?" Ulaz asked, raising his voice a bit. Allura flinched and Shiro put an arm out protectively in front of her.

Ulaz took a breath to steady himself.

"There has been an attack on an old Blade outpost. Kolivan insisted that he go and help fight and no one could stop him, not even Thace. He is still upset about Keith-"

"Keith is alive." He gritted out.

Kolivan… He was an able fighter of course. All members of the Blade were. But if he was in a rage then there was no telling what kind of trouble he was going to get himself into. Keith pushed his way up to Ulaz to speak into the communicator.

"What outpost did he go to?" He spoke with urgency. He needed to get to Kolivan _now_.

"Keith? You really are alive?" There was disbelief and movement on the other side. He could hear others speaking with the woman, asking questions. He was beginning to get frustrated. He felt a strangely familiar, yet unknown heat take over his body.

"Where is he?" Keith kept his voice steady and firm. He forced the anger and fear he was feeling for Kolivan down and tried to focus.

"The outpost is a distant star on the edge of the Halthan system. I didn't think that you-"

"Send the coordinates to this flyer."

"I-"

"Send them _now_." He left no room for argument as he cut her off. There was a short moment of silence.

"Sending them now." Keith cut off the communicator and turned to Allura and Shiro. Both of them seemed surprised, but not by his actions. Both pairs of eyes were looking him up and down, making him follow their gazes.

He held his hands up slightly and realized what had startled them. His hands had changed. Purple with claws and fur.

He had reverted to his Galra form.

He looked to Ulaz, who also seemed surprised. He, however, took it in stride.

"It seems a problem has arisen that must be taken care of immediately." Ulaz said, pulling Allura and Shiro from their daze.

"Um, yes." Allura answered softly.

"The Halthan system isn't far from here and you seem to be in a secure area. If you wait here we will be able to bring Kolivan directly to you." Ulaz said, taking charge of the situation.

Shiro and Allura turned to each other and seemed to have an entire conversation in just one look.

"I'll see what I can do." Allura said, and with that she turned and walked out of the ship, but before she fully left she turned back. "And Keith," Keith flinched, expecting a harsh scolding. For what, he didn't know. "Good luck finding him." She said softly.

"Be careful." Shiro added. Then they were both gone.

"The coordinates have arrived. Get in place for launch." Ulaz said. Keith sat in the seat beside Ulaz and brought the safety belts together across his chest.

Fear for Kolivan twisted in his gut. But there was a much more prominent throbbing in his heart that he could only recognize as regret.

 _He never got to say goodbye to the only friends he had left._

* * *

 **:)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

When they finally arrived at the coordinates the fight was still raging. A Galra battleship was hovering over the base, which was built into the side of a small moon rotating around a hazy gray planet.

BOM flyers were zooming around the battle ship, firing at it as the Galra's own versions of flyers chased them.

It was impossible to discern what was happening down on the moon, but there was defiantly _something_ happening. Alarms could be seen flashing and blinking and there was movement everywhere.

"You don't have your suit, you'll have to stay in the flyer." Ulaz said matter-of-factly.

He was right. The moon had no atmosphere, and he had no way of _not_ suffocating in space. His suit was still back in the Castle of Lions. He had no choice but to stay in the flyer.

Ulaz navigated the flyer around the worst of the fight to get to the moon base undetected. He landed it in a rocky alcove out of sight, but within running distance to the base.

"I'll be back." Ulaz said, placing his hand on top of Keith's hair before turning away and getting into the airlock as he placed his mask back onto his face.

He didn't really _want_ Ulaz jumping into the fray. Especially not without himself to fight by his side. He was already worried about Kolivan, but now he had to add Ulaz to that list.

For some reason the words that Lance had spoken when Allura had been flying the castle into the super nova came back to him.

 _Buena suerte, ten cuidado._

He didn't know what they meant but they brought him a strange comfort. He whispered them to himself. When his words met the air a soft sadness came over him. It was a familiar one.

It was one that brought both sorrowful and joyful emotions in an inseparable mix.

 _"Watch out!" Chorrol shouted as he slashed into a rouge sentry with his two-handed sword, shouting at their small group. Aubr threw two of her knives into the nearest Galra soldier before summoning them back to herself with her Luxite attracting gloves._

 _Keith was in a mindless killing spree. Slash, kick, block._

 _Protect._

 _It was their first field mission as a team and it had already gone wrong. Their informant had been executed just ticks before they had infiltrated the ship and the data that she had managed to steal was handed back to the Galra commander before they could recover it._

 _Their new objective was to get off of the ship alive._

 _He was the fiercest he had ever been, a frightening flurry of blade and teeth and claws and whatever else he could use to destroy the Galra attacking his friends. His family._

 _"Quickly!" Aubr shouted, pulling Keith closer to his group with just her voice. She was trying to get him into the flyer that both she and Chorrol were already in. She was providing as much cover as she could, but there were so many of them._

 _Keith didn't know if they would be able to get away safely without someone saying behind to distract the Galra from the flyer._

 _If he stayed he could almost guarantee the other's safety. He ran at the hoard of sentries that were marching in formation towards his team, taking down whatever got in his way._

 _"Get in the flyer!" Chorrol screamed harshly as he yanked Keith away from his fight with a sentry, literally pulling him by his left arm so he couldn't swing his sword. They both stumbled into the flyer just as Aubr closed the door behind them._

 _Chorrol shoved Keith to the pilot's seat and shouted, "Go! Go! Go!"_

 _Keith didn't even have to think about it before he was piloting them expertly through the war zone. He flew them straight into an asteroid field where he managed to lose the last of the following Galra._

 _When they were finally safe Keith let out a sigh._

 _SMACK_

 _Keith's head snapped forward from the force of the blow to the back of his skull._

 _"What the FRAK was_ that _?!" Chorrol shouted into his ear, knowing very well how sensitive Keith's hearing was._

 _"Ouch!"_

 _"You scared the frell out of us you fraking-" Aubr's voice cracked and she stopped talking to prevent them from hearing the pain in her voice. Keith's eyes snapped over to Aubr. Her hand was covering her mouth. Across her cheek her fur was matted in a bloody cut and there were multiple singed wounds where laser bullets had grazed her._

 _"Aubr…" Keith trailed off softly. There was a hand on his shoulder. He turned to Chorrol._

 _Chorrol's usually cheerful assuring eyes were filled with pain and fear. "We thought…" There were tears dripping down his face. "You ran off without us and almost got yourself killed. We thought you were gonna get shot down and-" Chorrol squeezed his shoulder, cutting himself off._

 _"I'm sorry." There was a prickling sensation in his eyes as his own tears began to well up. He didn't realize how his actions would affect his team. All he could think about was making sure they were safe, even if he was not._

 _"Keith, we are a team." Aubr stepped closer._

 _"We_ have _to stick together. No more of this self-sacrificing bull shit." Chorrol shook him a bit._

 _All of them were emotionally drained. They had failed the mission. It had ended in one Blade casualty. Almost two. And the information that was going to help to free the Galra prisoners of war had been lost._

 _Keith felt a tear run down his cheek._

 _He hated this feeling. Weakness. Sadness. Fear._

 _His grip on the controls became tighter as he tried to hold back the flood he knew was about to break through._

 _There were arms around him. Long strong arms that belonged to Aubr. Then Chorrol was on the other side, hugging him just like Aubr and all he could do was cry as the ship put itself on auto-pilot. The others were no better._

 _"We_ are _a team. I'm sorry." He murmured to his best friends._

 _…_

 _They had to work harder than any other Blade team after that failure. They lost all credit among the peers that they had been chosen over, even though it wasn't their fault. There just hadn't been enough time to get to their infiltrator._

 _But even with all of the ridiculous training regimens and stealth classes and snotty, angry people around them they didn't stop working to improve. To get better and stronger._

 _"Guys?" Chorrol piped up one day after a practice while they were walking back to Keith's housing unit. They were going to take a break and unwind with some sweet drinks._

 _"Hm?" Keith hummed as he unlocked the door._

 _"Why do you think…" He trailed off as they walked inside and the door shut automatically behind him._

 _"Think what Chorrol?" Aubr asked as she plopped down on the couch and Keith quickly grabbed some drinks, placing them on the table in front of Aubr._

 _"Well…" Chorrol walked over and sat himself right between Aubr and Keith, throwing his arms over the back of the couch behind his friends. Keith smiled just a bit. "I've had multiple courting offers, you guys know that." Boy did Keith know. They could hardly go a week without some random girl asking to court Chorrol, sometimes right in the middle of a conversation he was having with Keith or Aubr._

 _Keith reached forward and grabbed one of the drinks from the tray he had set on the table._

 _"What about it?" Aubr asked, grabbing the last two drinks and offering one to Chorrol. He pulled one arm off the back of the couch to hold the drink, but left the arm behind Keith resting on the cushions._

 _"Well, I keep getting all of these offers," A sip. "And I never get any offers from the girl that I actually want to be with like that." He takes another sip. Keith tells himself that those words don't hurt. He already knows where Chorrol's heart lays, and it isn't with him. He sometimes wonders if Aubr realizes how lucky she is._

 _"Well, even though it's traditional for the girl to ask for courting it isn't unheard of for a male to ask. Maybe you'll just have to step up your game." Aubr said coyly as she brought the drink to her lips. She was playing with him. Chorrol just didn't realize it._

 _Aubr was just as close to Keith as she was with Chorrol. She had already told Keith that it was Chorrol she liked and Chorrol had told him he liked Aubr. Keith had told neither of the two of the others desires and watched in amusement as they danced around each other. He questioned whether either of them would actually ever get around to confessing._

 _Aubr truly believed he was in love with another girl, but she didn't know who. Despite her sometimes out-going attitude she still had that shy-streak that Keith had seen in her when she was younger and she would never ask him without knowing for certain that Chorrol liked her._

 _And Chorrol was just head over heels for Aubr. But he was also incredibly intimidated by her at the same time and would probably never_ actually _ask her to court. He was afraid that it would hurt the friendship that he had with her if she didn't feel the same. Keith understood completely._

 _Honestly though, his friends were so dumb sometimes._

 _"Step up my game?" Chorrol asked, confused._

 _"She's telling you to grow a pair." Keith added in helpfully. "Just ask her already. You act like you'll melt into lava if you ask."_

 _"Keith! You know how I feel!" Chorrol squawked. Aubr pulled Chorrol's drink from his hand just before Chorrol was wrestling with Keith, pushing him off the couch as they play-fought. "You little plag!" He shouted, referring to the rodents that scurried around the base. He laughed as he shoved his hand over Keith's mouth, afraid that he would reveal his secrets._

 _Keith licked his hand in retaliation and Chorrol shrieked in surprise. Keith smirked and pushed Chorrol off of him and pinned him to the floor, switching their positions._

 _"Now who's the Plag?" Keith grinned. But it didn't last for long. As Keith looked down at his friend he noticed Chorrol's look of surprise just a moment before he was being pushed down right on top of Chorrol by a crushing weight._

 _"_ Both _of you are!" Aubr sang cheerfully from behind Keith. He could hear the smile in her voice as she pushed down harder on Keith, squishing both of the boys below. She was bigger and stronger than both of them, half of it being from the fact that Chorrol was a runt and Keith's other half was much smaller. The other half from Aubr's own other half, which was often even larger than a Galra._

 _"Truce! Truce!" Keith and Chorrol both shouted as they squirmed, trying to get out._

 _"Haha!" Aubr laughed. "Admit that you are the Plags." She commanded. Keith and Chorrol looked at each other, faces inches apart, and a single idea seemed to run across their gaze. Keith smiled and Chorrol grinned._

 _"Never!" They shouted. Keith planted his hands on either side of Chorrol's shoulders on the floor and pushed up as hard as he could at the same time that Chorrol pushed his way out from underneath him._

 _Aubr laughed and reached for him, but couldn't grab him without releasing Keith. He danced just out of her reach, taunting her as Keith stayed pinned to the ground._

 _"Chorrol help!" Keith yelled at him._

 _"I don't know dude, she'll get me…" He smiled apologetically at Keith before sprinting around the two of them to grab his drink and sip it just out of Aubr's reach._

 _"Aubr." Keith said, grabbing her attention. "Let me up and I'll help you get him." Aubr smiled at her new ally._

 _"This is war!" She shouted, pulling Keith up with one hand and running with him by her side at a surprised Chorrol._

 _…_

An explosion that shook his flyer pulled him from his memories and yanked his attention to the Galra battleship that had just sent a devastating blast towards the base. It had a particle canon.

It had done an extreme amount of damage but somehow the base had not been completely destroyed. Ulaz or Kolivan could have gotten hurt, but there was nothing that he could do.

Keith searched the space around the Battleship for friendly flyers, but all of them where being heavily pursued and outnumbered by the Galra flyers.

The particle canon was recharging and no one was able to stop it.

His instincts had him moving before his mind had even realized what he was planning. He started up the flyer and flew it directly towards the canon, firing at will.

Some of the Galra flyers that had been chasing his allies broke away to peruse Keith, but he flew in evasive pattern and kept firing as much as he could at the canon. It didn't seem to be doing much damage, but it was defiantly delaying the charging process.

Other Blade's saw what he was doing and focused their fire on the canon as well until there was a blue-purple rain of laser bullets all over the particle canon.

With everyone firing it didn't take long for the canon to break down and shatter.

Keith pulled directly up on his controls as hard as he could, and found himself behind the Galra flyers that had been chasing them. He shot them down.

He could see other Blade's flyers getting the upper hand and felt the tide of the battle turning to their favor. Not long after he thought this, the battle cruiser was warping away with all of its flyers.

The relief that Keith felt was quickly over powered by the thought that Kolivan and Ulaz could have been killed in the first canon blast. He flew his flyer down to the surface of the moon as quickly as he could, scanning over the base in search of the two Galra.

When he reached the spot that Ulaz had landed the flyer he saw two figures standing against a boulder.

"It's them!" He said aloud, realizing that, yes, he had just said that to himself and no, he didn't care if it made him sound a little bit crazy.

He quickly landed the flyer by them and unlocked the airlock.

 **…**

 **Kolivan POV**

How was he supposed keep him safe? How was he supposed to keep him _safe_ when his job, his _duty_ to the blade put him in danger every day?

He couldn't, and he knew that.

He regretted the day that the report of high levels of quintessence from a distant battle cruiser had come in. He hated himself for thinking that it would be a perfect mission to get Keith out of that training room and into the field.

Every time he closed his eyes he saw Keith's retreating form as he saw him off for the last time. He watched him go and didn't say a word.

Didn't stop him.

Thace had been in the communication center when the news of the cruiser's complete destruction had come. He had returned to their shared home with tears in his eyes and his gait heavy.

He threw his arms around Kolivan and pulled him close before whispering into his ear, "A report came in minutes ago. The cruiser Keith was on-" A sob racked his body and he had to control himself to get the next words out. Kolivan pulled him in close and tried not to let the dread sink in. "It was destroyed completely by an outside source."

"Was there any chance…?" Kolivan started, voice weak and heart heavy.

"No… Our son is dead."

With those words, a piece of Kolivan had died too.

He felt an unfamiliar emptiness come over him and all the drive that he once had was gone. Defeating Zarkon suddenly felt like a hopeless pipe dream and even Thace seemed to be feeling the same.

If it weren't for Thace though, Kolivan may have never been able to get out of bed in the morning, his grieving so immense. Thace was grieving too, but the depression affected him differently from Kolivan.

Thace was training himself to death. He'd go to the training rooms, since he had no active missions, and he would train until he collapsed from total exhaustion. Kolivan had to step in multiple times to stop him.

The two were co-dependent on each other. Thace would always make sure that Kolivan had eaten, Kolivan would make sure that Thace would stay grounded. Thace would pull him out of his broken thoughts and Kolivan would calm the fury that would flare up at the simplest things.

Those _little_ things were the _only_ things keeping the two sane.

A parent should never have to outlive his own child.

It had been at least a week after the news had reached him, but time passed strangely for Kolivan now, so he wasn't quite sure any more.

That was when the command base received a distress signal from one of the outlying Blade outposts. It was then that Kolivan felt a hot coal of hatred burning in his stomach, scalding his insides and filling his lungs with an angry smoke.

All he could think was revenge. All he could feel was anger and resentment.

Zarkon's army took and took and _took_ , but he would not sit back and accept the fact that they had _taken his child_.

No more.

Thace had told him not to go. But Kolivan could see the rage in his eyes. He knew that Thace wanted to go just as bad as he did. Thace, however, also knew that if he went, he wouldn't stop fighting until every last solider on that ship was dead.

Kolivan decided that he would fight for both of them and before Thace or anyone else on the base could stop him, he got in a flyer and took off in the direction of the outpost.

He didn't remember much. There were flashes of vicious fighting inside the compound but most of his actions were done in blind fits of full on rage.

And then there was a flash of a familiar figure, one that he hadn't seen in a year, and it pulled some shred of sanity back to him.

"Kolivan!" Ulaz shouted as he ran to his side. Kolivan slashed down one of the last invading sentries and turned to Ulaz.

"What are you-" Kolivan was cut off by a deafening explosion that rocked the compound all around.

They cut the conversation short and fought side by side, back to back, and tooth and nail to get out of the compound.

When they finally got outside the battle cruiser was retreating, along with all of the Galra flyers it had brought. The Blade had managed to drive off the attack, but they would still have to evacuate the base and-

Ulaz was tugging on his arm, pulling him in a direction that lead to nowhere.

"What-"

"Just come with me." Ulaz said and pulled harder.

They reached an out-of-the-way area and it was only moments before a flyer was touching down in front of them. Ulaz seemed eager and restless as he hurried to the airlock. Kolivan was a little confused but followed him anyway.

Once they got inside the airlock and the doors behind them were properly sealed the second set of doors opened.

Kolivan looked up.

And then he stopped breathing.

 _Keith._

It was _Keith_.

His _son._

His _baby._

Standing there looking at him with a soft and sad smile.

Kolivan choked on a sob and ran the fastest he ever had in his entire life, closing the short distance. He pulled Keith into his arms, hugging him tightly as if he might disappear.

 _He really was here. He really was alive._

The relief and happiness and sorrow took over and all he could do was run his hand through Keith's hair and mumble broken thanks to a god that he didn't believe in.

Keith was gripping onto the back of Kolivan's suit like he had done as a child after he had had a nightmare.

"I'm sorry Father." Keith said, his voice watery and shaken.

"I love you, Keith. I love you so much, please don't scare me like that again." Kolivan choked out.

"I won't, I promise."

 **…**

 **Keith POV**

Keith held onto Kolivan just as tightly as Kolivan held him. They stayed like that for a while, but eventually Ulaz broke them up.

"We must get back to the others." Ulaz said softly.

Once Kolivan and Keith were braced for take-off Ulaz started the flyer.

It would take at least an hour to get back to where the castle of lions was waiting, but at this rate they should get there with no problems. The Flyer was in good condition and they had driven off the Galra battle cruiser.

He was going to see his friends again, everything was going to be fine.

So why was Keith's stomach churning like something was wrong?

"Keith." Kolivan grabbed his attention. "How did you escape?" He asked. Keith looking him in the eyes.

"By accidentally making a friend."

It didn't take too long to tell Kolivan the entire story, but once it was all out Keith felt drained. With every name his heart clenched and his stomach twisted and he thought he might be sick.

Something was wrong but he had no way of knowing what it could be. At least… until they arrived back at the meeting place.

The Castle of Lions was gone.

The only thing left in this quadrant were the remains of a Galra battle ship. Keith had a sinking suspicion that it was the ship that they had chased off themselves not long ago.

"What happened here?" Ulaz mused aloud. No one responded. No one knew the answer.

"Are they gone?" Keith asked, not quite believing that it was true. Not _wanting_ to believe that it was true.

"Yes. It would appear so." Ulaz sighed and entered coordinates for the Blade command base. As Keith took one last look at the wreckage he took note of all of the black and purple ship pieces floating everywhere, as well as some strange white wreckage. But then, before he could take in any more of the scene, the flyer was moving.

On the way back to the Blade base Keith sat closed off from the other two passengers. He rested his elbows on his knees and hunched forward, staring into his lap silently.

He was trying to figure out two things.

What had happened, and how to find his friends again.

By the time they actually arrived to the base he had not been able to answer either of those questions.

But both of those things were put aside as he was reunited with his dad.

Thace was waiting in the housing unit. When Keith walked in with Kolivan behind him Thace broke down, falling to his knees a few meters away. He couldn't even seem to move, paralyzed by relief. Keith ran to him and threw his arms around his neck, Thace held him tight as he sobbed. Kolivan came close and pulled them both into his arms, smiling.

When they finally broke apart Kolivan and Thace turned to each other and shared a knowing smile. Kolivan kissed Thace on the cheek before he spoke.

"Keith, he was telling me of the ones who saved him." Kolivan began. Thace raised a curious eyebrow before sitting in a nearby chair, Keith and Kolivan sitting on the couch next to the chair.

"Oh?"

"Yes and then Ulaz informed me that he was rescued by who he thinks is Keith's-" Kolivan didn't finish his sentence with words, instead sending a pointed look and twirling his finger in the air towards Thace, who in turn seemed to understand exactly what he meant.

"Really?" Thace said, surprise etching his tone as he sent a curious gaze to Keith, who was very confused.

"But there is a problem." Kolivan started.

He explained what Keith had told him about wishing to form an alliance, Keith jumping into the conversation every once in a while to correct or clarify what Kolivan said.

And then he explained the disappearance of his friends.

He felt his stomach sinking again.

Kolivan and Thace continued to talk but Keith's mind was in another place.

The Castle of Lions didn't have the scaltrite to warp away, so there was no way that they could have gotten too far, but the Battle cruiser may have scared them off. If they thought that the location they were in was no longer secure then there was no way that they would want to stay there.

So they had left.

He hoped that they were safe. He had to find them and make sure that they were _safe._ He couldn't lose them. Not like-

"Keith? Are you okay?" Thace asked, bringing him back to the present. Thace looked extremely concerned, maybe a little bit more than the situation called for.

"Yeah Dad, I'm-" Keith looked up from where he had been staring in his lap to meet Thace's gaze and notice that Thace was giving him a "That's total bull shit" stare, and he hadn't even finished his sentence.

"You do realized that we both know that you aren't." Thace said, a small sad smile on his face as he gestured to Kolivan and himself.

Keith let out a harsh laugh.

For some reason, something about this situation, knowing he was in a safe place with his family and being so vulnerable and transparent… He felt the hot streams of tears running down his face, even though he still had a wobbly smile on his face.

"It feels like Aubr and Chorrol all over again." He admitted staring off into a space somewhere to the left of Thace. From his peripheral vision he saw Thace and Kolivan share a look. Before he realized what he was doing Keith was talking, just rambling. "You know, they were all human. Well, I mean all but two of them, but they were human. Just like my birth father." There was a strange silence. One that neither of his real parents knew how to fill.

"They were strange. Very strange really." The tears kept falling but Keith was still smiling a watery smile because every time he thought of the crew he couldn't help but smile, even if he knew that it was going to be virtually impossible to find them again.

Kolivan wrapped an arm around him and Thace moved to the other side of Keith, wrapping his own arm around him.

"I tried to get in contact with you guys, but their communications were broken. And then they all ended up being so nice and fun to be around. All of them were my friends. Allura didn't like me at first because the Galra had killed her entire race, but she found a way to look past that. Lance seemed to believe in me since the beginning and Pidge and Hunk didn't need much convincing. They just accepted me. Shiro even calmed the princess down once when she was worried I would do something bad. He had faith in me. And Coran, that crazy old man didn't even flinch when he saw me. I don't know how but he just immediately accepted me." Kolivan and Thace said nothing, just sat and listened as their son's heart broke piece by piece.

"And now they're gone. Just like Chorrol and Aubr." He refused to let himself relive those memories as he buried his face in Thace's shoulder, done talking.

Thace let him stay like that until his sobs had subsided. Keith was so tired of crying. He felt like he had cried every single tear his body could possibly make because there were no more tears. Just ragged breaths and hiccups.

Thace rubbed his back for a moment before pulling Keith up and leading him to his room, Kolivan following right behind. They helped Keith get into bed, making him take off the boots he had gotten from his time in the castle as well as his half jacket.

Keith felt his breathing equaling out and pure exhaustion taking over his body. Thace pulled the covers over him and kissed his forehead, then Kolivan did the same. Thace handed Keith a small 'hippo' animal. It was a token that his mother had gotten from her time on earth, and one of the only things he had from his human side.

The Hippo had provided Keith comfort ever since he could remember, and it didn't fail now. He clutched it tight, feeling only a little silly for holding it like a toddler would after a nightmare.

His parents left him to sleep, and Keith let his consciousness drift away.

* * *

 **there is art for this chapter, which you can see on my tumblr writterwithin under my tags in 'The Real Enemy'**

 **if you liked this, consider supporting me and buying me a coffee?** /A73541XM


	18. Chapter 18

**Pidge POV**

It was only two hours after Keith left when the Galra battle Cruiser showed up oddly damaged and very much after the Castle.

"Get to the lions!" Allura had shouted over the intercoms. Everyone had been helping Coran fix the Castle of Lions (again) and they had to scramble from all corners of the Castle to get to the command room to deploy.

The castle took heavy fire from the Galra flyers, but the Cruiser didn't seem to have a particle canon to fire at them, meaning they had a small advantage. The particle canon was the strongest weapon that a battle cruiser possessed and one of the few things that was able to effectively deteriorate the Castle's particle barrier.

By the time the paladins (who had lions) had managed to get full control over the situation almost all of the Galra flyers were down and the Battle cruiser was on its last legs.

A few collective attacks from all three lion's blasters and then the ship was bursting apart.

They had won.

"Good work you guys!" Shiro's proud (dad) voice rang through their helmets.

"Hell yeah!" Pidge said excited that, for once, they had won a battle without running away or almost dying.

"Hunk did you see me out there?" Lance rambled joyfully as all three of them brought their lions back to the castle.

"Yeah man! Nice shooting!" Hunk indulged Lance. Lance said nothing else, but Pidge could almost _feel_ the smile that he was sporting.

Everyone was in high spirits when they finally arrived back in the castle. Everyone, that is, except for Allura.

"You did great out there paladins, but we cannot stay in this quadrant any longer," Allura said, frowning.

"What?" Lance stepped forward, his helmet in his hands. A small confused smile found his lips as he spoke. "You're kidding, right?"

"I'm afraid not Lance. Where there is one there are many." She said sadly.

Lance scoffed and took a step closer, "But Keith hasn't come back yet! How will he know where we are if we leave? We have no communications!" Lance was becoming flustered.

"I know that but-" Allura began, only to get cut off by Lance.

"But what? We can't leave, we have to form an alliance with-"

"Lance." Shiro's voice silenced him. "She's right. You know how dangerous it is to stay put. We don't know if that Cruiser sent out transmission or even if other reinforcements are on the way. We got lucky with the state that the last cruiser showed up in, but if we aren't careful our luck will run out."

Lance opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when he realized they were right.

"I know that you two had become close, but we can't risk the lions or the castle," Allura said softly.

Lance sputtered. "I was _not_ close with that _idiot_." He crossed his arms over his chest, a gesture Pidge recognized as defensive.

Pidge turned to Hunk and they shared a knowing look before Coran spoke. "We could always leave a message for them to find."

Lance snapped his gaze over to Coran, eyes alight with hope. "How?"

"Pidge, do you think you can recode a message similar to the one we found in Shiro's arm?" Pidge turned to Coran.

Of course she could, she had seen the code and found the pattern. Even her software had been able to copy it and separate the virus from the useful information. The question was, where was she going to put the code.

"Yeah, I can do it, but how are we going to get the message to them?" Pidge asked.

Coran smiled and gestured for her to follow him.

…

"So… This thing will just… chill out in space?" Hunk asked as he examined the white capsule the size of his hand.

"Precisely! We will send it out and when the others come back they can take it and decode it." Coran took the capsule and tossed it into the air before catching it and handing it to Pidge, who had her computer ready to go.

"Okay, but what if they don't find it?" Lance worried. He had changed back into his normal clothes like everyone else and was pulling at the sleeve of his jacket anxiously.

"Well, there isn't much we can do about that I'm afraid. You'll just have to have a little faith," Coran answered. Lance huffed and frowned.

Pidge turned back to her laptop where her software was up and running, ready to code. She understood how Lance felt and wanted Keith to find the code just as much as he did.

Well… maybe not as much as Lance did, he seemed closer to Keith than anyone else. But that didn't mean that the others didn't see him as a friend. Pidge felt like he was already a part of their Voltron family and the thought of losing him to the vastness of space struck a chord in her heart.

"Alright guys, I'm ready to go. What should be in the message?" Pidge asked. Allura was the first to speak.

"Could you put the direction we are heading in, and the quadrants we will pass?" Pidge nodded and typed in the directions Allura fed her. The computer changed her words to code as she typed. Once she had finished she looked around the room, asking with her gaze if there was anything else that needed to be said. When her eyes landed on Hunk he spoke.

"Maybe we should add an apology, something like, 'Sorry we left you hangin' hope you can find us'?" Pidge shrugged and turned to her computer to quickly add the message. She turned this time to Shiro.

"Tell him that we hope that Kolivan made it out safely and that the base that was attacked wasn't destroyed."

She added it. Next was Coran.

"Write in there that if he finds any scaltrite, he should bring it back. Also, we will try our hardest to stay on course but he should hurry in case we are forced to stray. And-" Coran paused and Pidge's typing slowed. "Tell him to stay safe." Pidge smiled and added his message.

The only other person left was Lance.

"Tell that asshole that he's making all of us worry and that he needs to get back here quick, because you guys," He gestured to Pidge and Hunk. "Still suck at hand-to-hand combat." Pidge narrowed her eyes at him in a challenge but said nothing as she added the message. "And… tell him that… Just type buena suerte, ten cuidado." Lance turned away from the others, reluctant to meet any of the other's gazes.

Pidge smiled softly and quietly added his message. All that was left was her own message.

 _Hurry back Keith._

…

Once the capsule was released into space the Castle of Lions left. They were heading towards an area of space that had previously held a 'trading outpost.' Coran said he would brief them more on it later, but until then they would help him fix up the castle.

That was all they did for two days.

Wake up, breakfast, fix frayed circuits, lunch, repair blown engines, dinner, replace defense systems, sleep, repeat.

Pidge and the entire team worked as hard as they could, knowing that, while it may have been unpleasant, the work they were doing was necessary. All the while they worked a thought pulled at the backs of each of their minds.

 _Keith hadn't shown up yet._

Every one of them was beginning to worry that, maybe he hadn't found their message. The longer they traveled with no sign of him the more they felt their hopes ebbing away. All of them were feeling their hearts sink with the passing time.

But of everyone in the Castle, Lance was the one who seemed to be affected the most.

He would smile and carry on as usual, making jokes and talking about what he had done that day and how tired he was. But, it seemed forced. Once he finished a story he would go quiet and a frown would find his face.

"Lance?" Pidge had questioned once. As she spoke his name his head snapped up and he seemed to take in his surroundings, coming back to the present after wandering in his thoughts. "Are you alright?" Pidge had asked.

Lance responded with a smile and a laugh, "Fine." He had said. But not long after the frown was back and his eyes seemed to dance with a troubled light.

Not long after that he dismissed himself from the work they had been doing together, saying he was going to wash up before lunch. It wasn't until the next day that Pidge realized the extent of Lance's anxiety.

"Hey Pidge." Hunk knocked on her door before breakfast.

"Yeah, what do you need?" She asked as she turned away from her laptop. Hunk stood in the doorway looking worried.

"Have you seen Lance yet? He was supposed to meet up with me before breakfast so we could mess with the food goo recipe." Hunk was wringing his hands, checking the hallway while he spoke as if see if Lance would miraculously appear.

Pidge frowned and shut her computer. "No, I haven't seen him," She answered. Hunk nodded his head and took a step out of her room.

"I'm just gonna go check the kitchen again, he wasn't in his room, maybe he just went and took a shower…" He continued mumbling as he started down the hall.

Pidge sighed, stretching her arms above her head before getting up and heading towards the Lions bay. She had a sneaking suspicion she knew where Lance was. She had found him there once before already.

It was the day that she started to think of Lance as a friend and not some obnoxious team mate that she just had to deal with. Ever since then their bond had only grown stronger. Now she thought of him as a brother, similar in so many ways to her blood brother Matt.

 _She had been on the castle with the others for a week and had yet to find any sign of her brother or father. They were having a small going away party with the native Arusians before they were to go into space to begin their journey. Pidge had already searched the Altean data base for anything about Galra prisoners, but with it being 10,000 years old, there was nothing useful._

 _She was only staying with her 'Voltron team' because Shiro seemed to be devoted to it and she had no other leads. If Shiro ever regained his memory, he might have valuable information about her family._

 _And so she stayed and mingled about, eating whatever snack came her way and talking to Hunk about engineering and technology. Lance was in the middle of things, dancing and talking and laughing with anyone that came his way. He really seemed to be enjoying himself._

 _There was a lull in Pidge and Hunk's conversation, and that was when she noticed how Lance seemed to have changed moods. He was staring longingly at a small family of Arusians, a small child sitting on top of its father's shoulders as the mother laughed at the funny faces it was making. Just a moment later Lance was placing his drink on the nearest platter and walking off._

 _Coran followed him, so Pidge didn't feel the need to worry._

 _Pidge continued to eat and talk but soon grew tired of the party. She told Allura that she was going to go to bed and then retreated back into the castle. She was almost to her room when she saw Coran walking down the hall._

 _"Hey Coran," She greeted. Coran looked up and gave her a tense smile._

 _"Hello number 4," Coran said, referring to her height among the other paladins. "It seems the blue paladin is missing earth." Pidge cocked her head curiously at him. "I'm afraid that I have cheered him up as much as I could, but it wasn't much. He misses his family very much." Coran shook his head and continued down the hall._

 _Pidge watched him go. She thought about just going to bed and not getting involved, but the longer she contemplated it, the more she realized that she wouldn't be able to leave it alone._

 _She began to walk down the hall, not quite knowing where she was going. She let her intuition guide her until she found herself before the lion bay._

 _The blue lion bay was the exact same as the green lion's, spacious and pristine with a sky deck overhead._

 _She spotted Lance sitting on top of Blue's paw, his cargo jacket pulled around him in a way that made him seem small and insignificant. His arms clutched his legs to his chest and he let his head rest on his knees. He didn't look up as Pidge approached, but she knew that he had heard her enter._

 _She sat down beside him and said nothing. Not a single word._

 _They sat like that for a long time in silence. They both seemed content to just enjoy the fact that there was another person beside them._

 _But Pidge was beginning to get drowsy, the long day finally catching up with her. So, she scooted closer to Lance and laid her head on his shoulder, using him as a pillow. It was a bit uncomfortable, Lance had very bony shoulders, but she didn't really care._

 _Luckily Lance took the hint and unwrapped his arms from his knees to wrap an arm around Pidge. He rested his head atop of hers._

 _"I miss my family too," She mumbled. "You remind me of Matt you know. He was always Cheering up everyone else, but sometimes we forgot that he needed cheering up too."_

 _Lance nodded his head. Pidge felt it more than saw it._

 _"You remind me of my niece. She was always so smart and strong, but she couldn't go anywhere without her brother. She was always protecting him," Lance whispered._

 _Pidge grunted in response. Then she finally slipped away into a blissful sleep._

Pidge had been right. Lance was in the Blue Lion's bay. But he wasn't sitting on her paw this time. Somehow, he had managed to find a way to perch himself hundreds of feet above the ground on top of her head.

"Lance!" She shouted to be heard. She could see him slowly shift to look down to her.

"Pidge?" He asked.

"No, it's freaking Santa Claus. How did you get up there?" Pidge shouted back. Lance didn't move for a moment. Pidge waited for him to do something and was just about to shout up at him again when Blue began to shift. She lowered her massive head down slowly before Pidge.

Blue opened her mouth and Lance jumped down onto the small platform that protruded from it.

"Hey Pidge." Lance tried to smile his usual cocky grin, but it only grew to a watered-down version of what it had once been. Pidge rolled her eyes at him.

"You know you don't have to pretend, right?" She said as she crossed her arms over her small chest. Lance's smile dropped and he nodded once, down casting his gaze. Pidge sighed. "I've never been on top of a lion. What do you see from up there?"

Lance looked back up to the 'sky deck' that showed the stars and galaxies the Castle was passing by. He brought his gaze back to Pidge. "Come and see."

He began to climb up Blue's face, using crooks and nannies as foot and hand holds. When he got to the top he leaned down and offered Pidge his hand. Pidge hesitated.

"Come on Pidge. You afraid of heights?"

Of course she was afraid of heights. If she got up that high, one misstep would be her death. But she wasn't going to tell Lance that. She grunted and grabbed Lance's hand, trusting him not to drop her. Once she was safely on top Lance patted Blue and she slowly rose back into sitting position.

Pidge clutched at the space metal of the blue cat for dear life.

"Pidge, we are done moving," Lance teased gently. Reluctantly Pidge loosened her grip and opened her eyes from where she had screwed them shut.

The sight that greeted her took her breath away.

They had been on this ship for a month and she had never taken the time to look out at the stars and she was starting to wonder why. Colorful galaxies danced and stars twinkled everywhere. Plants loomed in and out of view and light shone everywhere.

"Whoa," she gasped.

"Yeah." Lance answered.

They stayed like that for quite a bit of time, just looking at the stars as they sat in silence. Pidge was the one to break the silence.

"You know you were supposed to meet Hunk before breakfast," she stated. Lance groaned and rubbed his face harshly.

"I totally forgot. Is he worried?"

"Lance, I think all of us are worried. What's eating you?" Pidge prodded. Lance sighed but didn't say anything. He looked back out to the stars.

Pidge honestly thought that he wasn't going to respond, but then, after a minute Lance spoke, without even looking in her direction.

"I guess a lot of things are 'eating at me.' And…" He trailed off, but Pidge waited patiently for him to continue. "The longer we go with no contact the more likely it is that we won't ever see him again. I know that sucks and all, but what I'm really worried about is whether or not he even…" He paused, as if he couldn't decide if he should keep speaking. "…did he even get out of that battle alive? Is his family okay? Did he come back to where we left the message and not even see it? Pidge, he might even think we just abandoned him." Lance turned his watery gaze to her.

"Lance…"

"And I care about him, you know? He's a part of this team and I'm worried that-" He choked on a sob, taking a breath to try to control himself. Pidge rubbed his back reassuringly. "I'm afraid that we will never see him again." Lance's voice was only a whisper.

"I think we are all afraid of that…" Pidge continued to rub his back. Lance breathed in and out slowly, once, twice, three times before he was able to speak again.

"I hate feeling like this. Sorry you had to hear all of that," Lance said as he hugged his knees into his chest and sniffed

"You know that it's okay to be upset. You're allowed to be sad, Lance." Pidge put as much emotion into her voice as she could. Lance kept bottling everything up inside and he wouldn't let himself feel bad. The only way to get better was to stop holding all of the sadness back and to just let it out.

"But I'm the team goofball, I cheer everyone up by doing stupid things so they can laugh. It doesn't matter if I'm sad. I have to keep smiling."

Pidge didn't even know what to say. Did he really believe that? Did he really think that all he was good for was cheering everyone else up? That he wasn't worthy of being happy himself?

A low growl shook through the lion hangar as Blue voiced her own thoughts.

"Lance, it isn't your job to make everyone happy. You are an important individual. You are only human and it is _okay to feel sad._ " Lance didn't look up from where he had his head buried in his knees.

"She's right you know!" A warm voice shouted from somewhere far below. It startled them both from their moment. They shared a single glance before they crawled to the edge of Blue's mouth to peer down to where the voice originated.

Hunk stood beside Blue's paw, a bowl of food goo in either hand and a wide sympathetic smile on his face. "It's okay to not be okay, dude." He said, knowing he had their attention. Pidge wondered for a moment how long they had to have been up here for Hunk to search them out, but her curiosity was crushed when she realized how far up in the air she was and how easy it would be for her to fall over the edge.

She pushed herself back and promptly told Lance that she _needed_ to get back on the ground.

Blue moved slowly, almost as if she sensed Pidge's fear. Lance was the first to get down, then he helped Pidge clamber carefully off of Blue's nose to the platform below. Once they reached stable ground Blue reverted back to her standard sitting position.

"I brought breakfast." Hunk smiled and raised the bowls, handing one to each of them.

"Thanks," Pidge and Lance said as they took their dull breakfast.

"No problem. You guys are my bros." He swung his arm over Lance and Pidge's shoulders. "Plus. Food always made me feel better when I was sad. What can I say, eat your heart out." Lance chuckled, throwing one arm around Hunk.

"Thanks. You guys are the best."

"Of course we are you dork." Pidge teased. Hunk laughed as Lance rolled his eyes.

"Shiro said that we have training today after breakfast and once that is over Coran is going to brief us, so you better eat up."

He didn't have to tell them twice.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and commenting guys! It really means a lot.**

 **Also, if you would like to support me, consider buying me a coffee?** /A73541XM


	19. Chapter 19

Keith POV

The training room felt smaller than he remembered, but maybe that was just because the Castle of Lion's training deck had been so much bigger.

He wacked half-heartedly at one of the dummies.

His dads had kept him close for a week after the incident, bringing him along wherever they went while they did their jobs around the Base. People would stop and gawk at him sometimes, like no one actually believed that he was alive.

He hated it when they did that. It made him feel like he wasn't even a person anymore, just some spirit that was floating around haunting his dads.

He growled and chucked his Blade at the dummy across the room, letting out a half-satisfied grunt when it stuck in the center of its chest.

He needed to be out there, looking for Voltron. He felt so restless stuck here on house arrest.

And that's what it was, house arrest. Kolivan and Thace may have let him go about on his own right now, but there was an unspoken rule that hung heavy in the air. No leaving without one of them.

Keith yanked his blade from where is sat and checked the time. A sigh escaped his lips as he realized he had spent the entire day in here. Again.

He wiped away the sweat from his brow as he walked out the door, heading back to his housing unit. He kept his eyes down cast as he walked, avoiding the silent gazes that burned holes through his body.

Oh, how he wanted to be back on the Castle of Lions.

It wasn't flooded with people there. No one was whispering behind his back as if he couldn't hear them, and his friends were there. Lance and the others. The ship itself was better too. Quieter somehow, a calming and lulling hum always present to sooth his mind.

As he thought of the castle he felt a longing pull in his heart. One so strong he was almost weighed down by the feeling, his steps slowing just a bit as his breathing hitched. He was so worried they would be attacked again, that they would get hurt and he wouldn't be there to help. That they would die and he would never even know what happened to them…

"Hey, are you alright?" A feminine voice called out from beside him. Keith was pulled from his stupor to realize that he was leaning heavily against the wall, tears threating to spill over his burning eyes. He pushed himself off the wall and wiped furiously at his eyes. He glanced at the girl who was looking at him with concern.

"I'm-" His voice cracked and he couldn't continue.

"Why don't we go somewhere quiet," She said softly, carefully placing her hands on his shoulders to guide him away from the most heavily used walkways.

He said nothing, more focused on containing his unsteady emotions.

When they reached an area she deemed worthy she released his shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes with her piercing golden gaze.

"Okay, what's going on? You wanna talk about it?" She spoke in a concerned voice that confused Keith. Didn't she know who he was?

"I-" He paused, taking a steadying breath before continuing. "Who are you?" She cocked her head to the side and smiled softly.

"I'm Ziana, but everyone calls me Z, and you are?"

"…Keith."

She must not have been on here for long enough to know who he was. Maybe she was a new recruit?

"Well Keith, you seem to be a little bit sad about something, and every time I'm sad I try to distance myself from everyone else. That always make things worse because I blow stuff out of proportion instead of trying to fix things. The best thing to do is to talk with those close to you, or even just hang out with them. But, if you don't have anyone to talk too, you can talk to me." She spoke with a gentle smile and a soft yet stern voice.

"Why are you trying to help me?" He didn't mean for it to come off as mean or rude, but he still managed to sound like a jerk.

She, however, took it in stride.

"I was in a bad place and no one helped me. When I finally pulled myself up and dusted myself off I decided that I never wanted anyone to feel like I had." For the first time, her voice faltered slightly and her smile fell, but it was only moments later that it was back and she was speaking again. "So, when I saw you I had no choice but to make sure that you were alright."

Keith said nothing, just stared at her for a moment. Her long braid of dark hair hung over one shoulder and she played with the end of it unconsciously as she waited for a response. Momentarily he was reminded of Aubr.

"I'm not fine, but I will be," Keith answered. She smiled brightly and patted his shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"A great response!" She said. Keith couldn't tell if she was teasing him or not.

"You must be new around here," Keith said quietly.

"Yeah! How did you know?" She said gasping in surprise.

"Call it a hunch," Keith mumbled. He wiped his eyes one more time and took a breath, finally feeling as if he had control again.

"I've gotten lost three times already and I only just got here two days ago." She laughed. "I'm actually lost right now." Keith gave her a curious look before giving her a small grin.

"I can show you around, where are you trying to get too?" Her eyes lit up and she gave him the widest smile he had seen yet.

…

While Keith showed her around Z told him how she had managed to find her way into the Blade. Originally, she had been a part of the Galra that had taken neither side in this war and stayed in hiding with her family. But soon enough her family was found and next in line to be tried for war crimes. Apparently sitting idle was just as blasphemas as joining the other side.

"Lucky for us, a day or two before the planned trail there was a prison break. My family was fortunate enough to make it out together. After that I knew that I wanted to be able to protect them against Zarkon, and if we were dead either way what harm could it be for me to join the Blade?" She asked rhetorically.

"Is your family here too?"

"Nah. They support the Blades and all, but they decided they wanted to join the rebel's side. Same cause, just different way of going about things. I tried to convince my brother to come with me, but he said he wanted to stay by my parent's sides. He keeps them safe and I rest easy knowing that someday I'll see them again… Maybe when all of this is over." For the first time in a while her voice was uncertain.

"You'll see them again," Keith reassured. Z smiled brightly, nodding her head and agreeing with him.

If she could believe that she would see them again, then Keith could hold out hope that he would find Voltron again.

Keith gestured to the room they were passing, "That's my family's housing unit, where did you say yours was again?"

"Oh, umm 3-B224." She said uncertainly.

"That's about 2 halls down on your left," He said. She began to fidget with her braid as she bit her lip. Keith sighed. "Follow me." She brightened up immediately and followed. After a moment, he spoke.

"So, what do you do for the Blade?"

"Oh! I'm a pilot!"

"A pilot?"

"Yeah, I do anything from supply runs to providing cover fire for outright attacks. We don't do too much of that, but those missions are always my favorite."

They continued talking until they reached her door. "This is your room."

"Thanks Keith. I'll see you around?" She didn't just say it, she was asking if they would meet again. Keith felt himself smile, just a little bit.

"Yeah, see you around."

…

"Keith?"

Keith looked up from his dinner that he had been scarfing down, his appetite back for the first time that week.

"Hmm?" He hummed, his mouth too full to actually say any words. Thace laughed at him and Kolivan just shook his head, a small grin gracing his lips.

"You seem to be feeling better. Did something happen?" Kolivan probably already knew the answer, but Keith told him anyway, after swallowing of course.

"I guess I made a new friend…" He thought over his interactions with Z and related them to how he acted with the members of Voltron. Yes, they were friends.

Thace and Kolivan shared a look.

"Well, it's a good thing you did, I was tired of trying to save what was left of your dinner every night." Kolivan laughed with Thace and Keith felt his cheeks heat up.

"Sorry about that." He shoved another bite of food into his mouth, albeit, a more reasonable sized bite than the last.

"Don't worry about it kid." Thace nudged him with his elbow.

They finished dinner and Keith excused himself to go to bed, flopping down on top of his blankets with a sigh. Thace and Kolivan were going to stay up a little longer and have a warm drink together like they usually did. A tradition of sorts that they never broke.

Keith remembered when he used to stay up with them. They would get him a cup of the sweet drink and tell him wild stories about distant planets and strange cultures. He would curl up between them and fall asleep, making them carry him to his room when they tried to get him to go to bed.

A wave of nostalgia hit and he got up from his bed. A longing in his chest similar to the one he felt when he thought about Voltron pulled him to his door. He was almost embarrassed about how quickly he got up.

He quietly opened his door, just a little.

Thace and Kolivan's voices filtered into his room now that the door was open. He could just barely make out their conversation.

"…It could be the same thing or it could be something completely different. We just don't know." Keith could imagine the way Kolivan would be shaking his head slowly as he held his drink in both hands.

"If the readings are even remotely close to before then there is only one thing it could be." Thace sounded certain.

"I would agree but there is some kind of repressor over the ship, as if they are trying to hide something. There are other readings too, ones that indicate that there are druids aboard." A chill ran through Keith's spine.

Thace's sigh was loud and defeated. "How much longer before they pass by sector C-6?"

"One quintant. They are up to something, they won't go into slipstream, they just keep going at their set speed."

"A trap?"

"There is no way to be sure. Maybe it has something to do with the quintessence readings, but we can't confirm that." There was a pause between the two of them.

"Are we going to send a team in?"

"I don't think we should. It's that same readings that we sent Keith to chase and that ended terribly. We can't have a repeat."

The same readings? They found a lead? This could take them to Voltron! They had to follow it. He had to find them.

"I agree. There will be other opportunities, and as much as I want Keith to be able to find his Kalan I don't think that it would do him any good if he died on his way there."

Kalan? What did finding a mate have to do with anything?

There was a moment of silence in which Keith assumed Kolivan nodded his agreement.

"You know that we can't tell Keith."

"Yeah," Thace said weakly, "I know…"

"He would go running head first into trouble again… Sometimes I wonder what goes through his head before he does things." Kolivan's voice was tight. Keith could hear shifting, the two of them moving. He chanced a peek out of the crack in his door.

Both of them were sitting on the couch. Kolivan had his head resting on Thace's shoulder. Thace's arm was wrapped around Kolivan, pulling the two of them closer together.

"Every time I close my eyes I see the spot where they were going to put his name." Thace says nothing, just silently holds Kolivan.

"He's back now, and he's not going anywhere." Thace whispered after a while.

Keith closed his door silently. He stood there for a long while, not moving, just staring at the door processing what he had heard.

There was a lead. A Galra ship was going to pass by sector C-6 with strange quintessence readings similar to the one's Lance's Bayard held.

If he could get on that ship he could figure out what it was.

Could it be another Bayard? Another part of Voltron? Or was it a druid toy that they were transporting?

There was no way to know for sure. All Keith could do at this point was plan to get on that ship and see for himself.

But first.

Keith waited about a dobash and a half before he opened his door and walked out of his room. When his fathers saw him they sat up.

"What is it Keith? I thought you were going to bed?" Thace questioned.

"I couldn't sleep. I thought that you guys could tell me a story, like you used to…" Keith stood a few feet back, almost expecting them to say no.

Kolivan and Thace shared a glance before scooting apart to make room for Keith in the middle.

He didn't waste any time plopping down and getting comfortable.

…

"Z?" Keith called out after he knocked on her door a few times. He waited only a few moments before the door slid open to reveal a tired looking Galra, her hair fluffed around her shoulders in waves.

"Keith?" She questioned, squinting her eyes almost as if she didn't believe what she was seeing. "Breakfast hasn't even started yet, why are you up?"

"I need a favor."

…

"Keith!" Z whispered loudly as they hurried hanger.

"What." He whispered harshly back, taking cover behind the wing of one of the ships.

"What if we get caught?" She seemed to be getting cold feet at the last second. Keith sighed.

"We won't. And even if we do you won't be held accountable. I made sure of that." Keith briefly remembered the small flash drive explaining everything that he had put in his fathers' room. He claimed that he forced her to take him. "They would just assume that I was using my position to make you fly me to sector C-6."

"Your position?" She asked, confused.

"Don't worry about it." The less she knew about his family life the better. For now, at least. "Come on, we only have a little bit of time left to get to the sector."

He hadn't realized how long it was going to take to prepare for the trip. He had to pack a few things to take with him, but Z had to fuel up, do engine checks, and convince the guard of the hangar that she had a training mission that someone had forgotten to log.

Luckily for him he didn't have to spend very long convincing her to pilot him to the mysterious Galra ship. She had been on board as soon as he asked for help.

"Yeah, you're right. That guard will be back soon too. And if anyone else saw us… Well…" She glanced around for her ship, setting eyes on it and hurrying over, Keith following closely behind.

"Hop in," she said cheerfully. Keith did just that, leaping into the small flyer and putting his bag behind the pilot seat as he watched Z strap in and turn on the systems.

"Here we go." With that she was off, maneuvering her way through the slightly crowded hanger to the launching station that shut itself off from the rest of the room before opening its outer doors to the space beyond. She wasted no time in setting her course and taking off. She launched so quickly that Keith found himself forced to hold onto the back of her seat or risk being tossed in the back of the cab.

At the speed they were going they would reach sector C-6 with about a varga before the ship passed through. Plenty of time to scout out a vantage point to intersect and just enough time to charge their cloaking shield to fly under the Galra radar.

Keith let out a sigh of relief, feeling a weigh lift now that he was on his way.

"So…" Z trailed, letting the word hang in the air.

"So?" Keith questioned. Keith took a seat on the floor of the flyer despite there being two other seats for passengers. Z spared a glance at him.

"There are real seats you know."

"Yeah. I know."

It was quiet for a bit.

"…So…" Z tried again. Keith groaned.

"Yeah?"

"What can you tell me about your little self-proclaimed mission?"

Keith thought it over for a moment. What could he tell her?

"Well… You know how we met?"

"Yeah…"

"I was upset because of… of the people that I had to leave behind. I… I might not have ever seen them again, but with this new information, there is a possibility that I can find them. I can't let this opportunity slip away… I can't let… _them_ slip away." Keith realized that he was clenching his fists hard enough to drive his claws into his palms. He forced himself to open his hands and calm down.

"Then I'm all the more happy to help." He could hear the grin in her voice.

"Thank you."

When they arrived, they found a small moon that offered the perfect cover. They used its light gravity to keep themselves in place before charging the cloaker.

"We have a little more time before they get here, are you ready?" Z asked, turning in her seat to face Keith properly.

Keith nodded his head but said nothing. He had run through the plan in his head a million times and he was sure that he would be able to pull it off.

He could do it.

"Hey, Keith?" Z asked. Her voice was small and quiet. He pulled his gaze up to meet hers and found her staring at her feet.

"Yeah Z?"

"Um… Well, I used to know someone…" A pause. "No." She shook her head. "Never mind, sorry."

"Z?"

"No never mind, forget I said anything." Z gave him a small unconvincing smile.

"Are you sure?" Keith kind of wanted to know now that she had said something, but if she wasn't ready to tell him he didn't want to force it.

"Yeah, sorry about that." She laughed a little bit, turning around to monitor the systems behind her.

Keith steeled his nerves and sat down in a seat to wait out the rest of the time before the ship arrived.

…

He took one quick breath before stepping through the threshold onto the mysterious Galra ship. It had appeared like any other Galra battleship on the outside, and once Z covertly docked the ship he was able to tell that it looked like every other Galra battleship on the inside too. He gave Z a nod once he was safely inside and she secured the air locks before taking off. She would be back in a dobash. Without having to worry about hiding a ship and making sure he wasn't blocked in he would be able to focus on the mission he had set for himself.

He hoisted his bag a little higher on his shoulders and set out in the path that he was being led in by a small quintessence detector. He kept his eye out for any guards that may be patrolling, but since he hadn't raised any alarms yet he assumed that he would only need to watch out for the sentries that were on programed routes.

Footsteps echoed down the hall he was about to turn down, alerting him to danger. He quickly found cover in a side hall and waited out the passing sentries. When they passed he let out a silent breath and continued on.

The pink and purple lighting was slowly ebbing and flowing, a pulsing kind of light that was making him feel sick. He wanted to get off this ship as soon as possible.

He turned a corner and suddenly the quintessence detector was beeping at a speed he had never heard before, giving him readings crazy readings. As he kept to the path he began to feel a tugging deep in his chest. It was almost as if the air in his lungs was turning into something else, something more pure. And the closer he got the stronger the tugging got, replacing the stale circulated air in his lungs with something so much lighter and heavier all at once.

He stopped looking at the quintessence read out and let himself be dragged by the feeling. The closer he got to the feeling the more guards he had to avoid, and he was beginning to realize that not all of the guards were the robotic sentries that he was used to. They were Galran soldiers patrolling the area.

This set off a few warning alarms in his head. Whatever he had decided to investigate, the Galra must have believed it to be top priority.

He felt for a moment like the tugging got stronger before he suddenly heard sharp retorts snapping across the floor towards him as two Galra soldiers ran around a corner unexpectedly.

"They are here, get to your stations!" A loud voice over the intercom boomed and even if the Galran soldiers noticed Keith, who hadn't had time to hide, they didn't say anything, just ran right by with shoulders tensed and mouths set in tight lines.

 _They're here. Who is here?_

Who would they be expecting? The witch? Zarkon himself? Another commander? He didn't have time to figure it out so he just continued to follow the tugging sensation in his chest all the way to a set of towering doors.

He could _feel it._ He was so close, the thoughts in his mind going blank as the feeling of power coursed through him. He _had_ to get to the other side of that door.

Now.

He went to the hand scanner by the door. It would detect Galra DNA if he touched it, but he didn't know if he would need another stage of clearance past that. If he didn't have what it needed it could set off an alarm.

Screw it.

He smashed his hand down on the scanner and waited the moment it took to register him. It beeped once.

And did nothing past that. The doors didn't open and no alarm sounded.

"Ugg!" Keith groaned out in frustration, dragging a hand down his face.

 _Fine._

He yanked his bag from off of his shoulders and pulled out a small laser device. He knew that it would take a while, but it was all he could do at the moment.

He was about to hunker down in the middle of the doors to begin to cut through the heavy metal when a shudder ran through the entire ship and a trilling alarm began to blare.

A smashing sound was echoing in the vents and then there was a burning green slash going through the panel on the wall to his left. It was coming from _inside_ the wall.

Keith jumped to his feet and pulled his dagger free, readying himself for a fight as the panel was kicked out by a green and white clad foot.

A foot that he recognized.

He lowered his weapon as Pidge pushed herself out of the vent, jumping to the ground in a crouch and scanning the area for any immediate threats. She was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her gaze was moving rapidly and her body seemed pulled taunt like an over-stretched wire. When her eyes finally fell on him she raised her Bayard over her head-

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Keith said, raising his arms up. "It's me, Keith!" He watched her as she scrutinized him and in a heat of the moment decision he changed his facial features from Galra to human.

Pidge watched with rapt attention and slowly she lowered her Bayard. "Keith?"

"Yes, it's me. Is Voltron here? Is everyone safe? Is Lance here?" Keith was suddenly firing off questions before he had even realized it. They were here! Voltron… He had found them.

"Just a second Lance!" Pidge hissed into her helmet. "Everyone is here," She walked closer to Keith and he thought for a moment she was going to punch him in the face with the angry look on her face, but at the last second it broke into something softer.

"You had all of us worried," She wrapped her arms around him in a quick soft embrace that was just long enough for him to realize that he was being hugged before she was off to the panel on the wall behind Keith.

"Yes Lance, Keith is here," She was muttering. "I'm not going to- you can tell him when- Lance!"

"Pidge, do you know what's behind that door?" Keith cut off her ramblings. He stood behind her but faced away from her with his blade raised, ready to defend her if needed. He let his features morph back to Galra as he waited for a response.

"The red lion." She said blandly. She was obviously trying to focus as she wedged her Bayard under the panel to pry it off the wall, exposing the wires underneath. Keith almost felt bad for bothering her.

 _Almost_.

"Do the lions always feeling like they're pulling at your soul?" Keith asked, feeling another pulsing yank in his chest. Pidge's work stilled and he heard her go quiet for a moment.

"You can feel the pull?" Pidge asked quietly.

"Yeah-"

A tremor shook through the ship and cut him off as he struggled to stay upright. When it finally stopped Pidge growled a bit but said nothing. She hurried back to rerouting the wires of the panel.

"What's the plan?"

"I get in and unlock the doors, they're covered in druid magic, while Lance and Hunk keep the flyers busy. When the doors are unlocked I get back to the pod I rigged with cloaking abilities and open the doors from a safe distance so that I don't get sucked into space. After that the castle will use its tractor beam to pull the red lion out and then we retreat."

"Sounds good to me." Keith tightened his hold on his dagger.

Without warning the ship began tilting to the left, shaking the whole time and throwing Pidge and Keith both off of their feet, sending them flying into the opposite wall. Only seconds after they hit they were sent flying back to where they had been as the ship righted itself. Keith hit the wall first and then Pidge smashed into him, her armor crushing the air out of his lungs with an intense force.

"Oof-"

"Could you hit this ship _any harder_!?" Pidge shouted as she pushed off of Keith. Keith doubled over to get a deep breath before righting himself and looking for his dagger that he had dropped sometime during the chaos.

"Sorry Hunk." Pidge said into her helmet. "Yeah? Well you too, Lance."

Keith couldn't help but smile as he listened to her one-sided banter. He had missed them so much.

He spotted his dagger stuck in a crack in the wall on the opposite side of the doors. He jogged over and grabbed it when he heard a noise that he had only ever heard stories about. He whipped around to see Pidge smiling brightly as she connected the last wire.

And right behind her he saw a druid raising its hand.

"No!" He screamed, throwing his dagger at the druid, but it was too late. Dark magic flowed from its fingers and struck Pidge in the back. Pidge's screams broke something inside of him as the druid disappeared into thin air to avoid his dagger.

Keith sprinted to where she had crumpled to the floor, grabbing his dagger from beside her as he fell to his knees.

"Pidge! Pidge?" His hands hovered over her, afraid to touch her.

She had stopped screaming and he could see the feverous red and black creeping up the back of her neck. She was breathing, but it was shallow. He could faintly hear voices resonating from her helmet. Gently he pulled the helmet off and placed it on top of her chest to hear it better before putting his dagger away and slipping his hands under her knees and behind her shoulders.

He lifted her up gently.

"Pidge, please. I need you to tell me how to get to your pod. I can't fit through the vents."

She didn't move. He directed his attention to the helmet. Guys, I need someone to come help. Pidge I hurt bad! Please, I don't know where her pod is and she's unconscious." He could faintly hear Lance's voice.

"I'll be there in two! Allura, you'll have to get my lion back to the castle, I can't blow a hole in the ship without hurting them more. I'm coming in!"

"Hurry!" Keith shouted. He didn't know where the druid had gone, but there was no way that it went far. It was probably stalking them. Waiting for the right opportunity to attack.

"K-" Pidge's voice was raw and when she tried to speak she was sent into a breathless cough.

"She's awake!" He shouted, relieved. It was short lived though.

"Keith!" Pidge said as loudly as she could manage, looking up at him with a fear he had never seen from her. In that moment, he moved on instinct, ducking and spinning out of the way as a bolt of dark magic struck the spot where he had just been. Pidge was clutching onto him to keep from falling out of his arms.

He spun his gaze around the room, trying to find where the druid had gone, but he saw nothing that would give him any clues.

He could hear quick steps coming from the hall on his right. He turned his attention there getting ready to move if he had too.

When the figure rounded the corner its weapon was drawn and firing before he could even see if it was a sentry or a soldier. He moved to dodge the shots but realized they weren't aimed at him, but something behind him. A druid scream pierced his ear before it was gone.

He focused on the figure before him, taking in the white and blue armor and brown skin before he found his gaze locked on the sea blue eyes staring at him.

"Lance!" The word was out of his mouth the second it entered his brain. Lance was running to him and he smiled when he finally reached him. He wanted to hug him, to hold him in his arms, but he was still holding Pidge. Lance smiled back at him radiantly.

"Guys." Pidge coughed out, throat still dry. "Pod." Keith looked down and saw her face was contorted in pain, the druid magic was crawling on her skin, staining it a sickening color.

He looked up to Lance. "Lead the way." Lance nodded once and made his way down the left hallway quickly.

Keith pulled Pidge up a little higher in his arms, making sure she was secure before following after him. He could felt Pidge's stuttering breaths against his chest like this and he knew that she was running out of time.

The hallways were winding and confusing, but Lance had a bright holographic map projecting their location and the location of the pod. When they turned another corner, they found a group of sentries blocking the last hallway they had to pass through. Lance pushed them back behind the corner for cover as he summoned his shield and began picking off the robots one by one, shots firing all around him.

All Keith could think in that moment was how Lance looked like an avenging angel. He shot every one of the sentries, grunting once when a laser shot a little too close and grazed his shoulder.

The last one hit the floor and he turned to Keith. "Hurry." There was no room for argument. No humor, no lighthearted banter. Just intense fear.

Keith nodded and followed him with renewed vigor. They were at the pod in under a minute and Keith brought Pidge close enough for her to undo the cloak and open the doors. He lifted her inside and put her in the pilot seat so that she could begin to unlock the doors to the red lion remotely.

He turned back to Lance to tell him to hurry up and get in the pod when he saw what was holding him up.

Enough soldiers for an army had appeared behind him in the time it had taken for Pidge to get in the pod. He glanced back at Pidge and noticed that she was staring at the army, hands hovering over the keys she had been typing on.

"Pidge, keep going! We'll hold 'em off!" Keith shouted at her, looking to Lance to make sure he had heard too. He had.

Without turning back, he went to Lance's side to face off the army with him. The calm that settled over him steeled his nerves to get ready for what was gearing up to be the fight of his life.

"Ready?" Keith asked.

"You know it, Mullet."

And with that the lasers began to fly.

Lance shot at the Galra soldiers, who were, without a doubt, more dangerous than the sentries. The sentries, however, were more numerous. Keith went after them, charging into the thick of things, willing his blade to expand into the short sword that he had train with for countless hours. He slashed through the thin metal mercilessly, trusting that Lance had his back when a Galran soldier got a little too close for comfort.

A jolt ran through the ship and Keith knew that Pidge had opened the doors. He risked a glance back at the pod and saw two Druids approaching.

"Pidge!" He screamed. A blue laser flew by his face burning through a sentry that Keith didn't have time to look at. "Go!" He shouted with as much conviction as he could muster. He slashed through the sentries around him rapidly, trying to reach the pod to stop the druids.

Pidge was frozen, her eyes wide as she watched the druids approach.

"GO!" He shouted again and he could hear Lance joining in. For a moment, he thought that she wasn't going to move, but then her hands were flying across the controls and the pod was powering up.

Both druids raised their hands and without thinking of the consequences he let his blade shrink into a dagger and threw it with deadly precision into the druid closet to the pod. He may only be able to get one but-

A blue laser smashed into the farthest druid's hands, stopping the attack. Both had been wounded and distracted just long enough for Pidge to activate powerful thrusters that had her flying right into the hanger bay, which opened for her before closing behind her and opening to space.

 _She was safe_.

He looked to Lance and was brought back to the present when he saw him being overwhelmed by sentries and soldiers alike.

"No!" He screamed and began to run to him, only to be tackled to the ground by a soldier. "Let him go!" He screamed, even though he knew it wouldn't help. He tried to wrestle out of the soldier's grip, and would have succeeded if not for the other four soldiers who came to help hold him down. From the ground he could see Lance in much the same position looking to Keith with fearful eyes.

"Keith!" he shouted, trying to shack off the soldiers on top of him. His Bayard had been knocked to the side, far out of his reach.

Suddenly the room went silent as a freezing presence approached. Keith went still.

A hunched figure approached, white hair hanging out from underneath her hood.

Haggar.

He didn't need to see her face to know that she was furious. He could feel the powerful anger radiating off of her in waves.

"Take them to separate cells." He voice was rough and commanding and barely holding back the waves of rage her aura was giving off.

"No no no no no-" Lance begged in quick succession as they pulled him to his feet violently. "Let me go!"

"Shut him up!" Haggar shouted and one of the soldiers bashed the butt of his gun against Lance's temple, knocking him out.

Keith jerked forward, instinct taking over as he growled viscously at the witch and tried to break free from the grips on his arms and wrists. All it took was one look from Haggar and Keith was receiving similar treatment to Lance.

One bash was just enough to make him dizzy, a second one sent his eyes rolling into the back of his head as darkness fell over him.

* * *

 **Hey guys :) Sorry for the intense delay, but this is the longest chapter so far!**

 **You can come scream at me on tumblr** writterwithin **or on my art blog** renncandraw **if you have any questions!**

 **srsly come ask me questions I love to answer them!**


	20. Chapter 20

When he awoke it was to a dark cell and a splitting headache. No one else was around. He tried to move, but was held in pace by the shackles that were holding his arms above his head.

At least his feet were on the ground.

His shoulders were burning with the effort that they had been making to hold the rest of his body up, but now that he was conscious he was able to straighten his legs to give them some respite.

His armor was gone.

He was standing in the body suit underneath the Galra armor disguise that he had had.

He felt cold and vulnerable and uneasy. Like a stone had settled in his stomach and it was getting heavier and heavier and-

Keith took a breath, calming the rising panic within him. The cell was completely closed off and silent. The door was across from him, a few meters away. It looked heavy. There would be no way that he could bash it out on his own.

It didn't much matter though, because he was trapped in the shackles. No amount of jerking could get him free, and he tried.

His breaths were getting faster and suddenly he thought that he might pass out right now if he couldn't get his arms free. He jerked harder whimpering and grunting as it scored deep, burning cuts in his wrists.

He was alone in this silent cell and he could feel his demons awakening and if he let himself be consumed by them now he would never be able to break free. He couldn't stop them.

He tried to think of something, anything else but that day, but he couldn't.

He could remember the way it felt when he saw them disappear from his sight. He remembered the soft purple light coming from all directions, making his stomach feel sick and his mind spin. He remembered the small pod that he had been stuck in, about as big as the cell he was in now. The impossible silence. He was forced to watch as they-

Then he heard it.

It was faint, so faint that if it hadn't been deadly silent he wouldn't have been able to hear it. A soft voice was shakily humming along to an upbeat song. He searched for the source but couldn't find it. He knew that the walls of the cell would be soundproof so he shouldn't have been able to hear anything at all.

Were they transmitting music in here? There was no reason for them to do that. The sound was calming and the longer he listened the more relaxed he felt.

He focused on the sound, pushing away the horrible memories that were resurfacing to the back of his mind. He needed to calm down if he wanted to find a way out.

The humming was wobbly and weak, almost as if the singer was uncertain of the tune. He focused on every nuance of it, following the ebbs and flows intensely.

One breath in. A slower breath out.

He could do this, he just had to think this through.

It was another dobash of slow deliberate breaths before Keith felt the tension leave his mind.

It was only a moment more before that calm was wiped away in a matter of ticks. The door to his cell opened and in walked the witch herself, two of her druids following behind her on either side. Her robes dragged against the floor, making a hardly decipherable scuffing noise as she moved. Her long, colorless white hair swayed with her every movement. Her eyes were hidden by her deep cowl, which casted dark shadows over her face.

Keith felt himself shrink back unintentionally, but he forced his face to stay stern and unintimidated.

"This," Her voice was haunting as she held up his dagger, "belongs to you." The Blade symbol was standing prominently on the hilt, impossible to miss. A sneer formed on her lips as she threw it at him. It didn't hit him, just clattered off the wall to his right. If she had wanted, it could have pierced his heart in one shot. He could have died with his hands chained above his head and only the fear in his chest to keep him company.

But she had plans for him. He wouldn't be getting out of this so easily.

"I have some questions. You are going to answer them," Haggar commanded. Keith said nothing, just kept his mouth shut and tried to recall the training he had received for situations like this.

"Where is the Blade of Marmora's headquarters?"

Keith said nothing.

"I will not ask again." Haggar's voice sent terror trilling through his bones.

He braced himself for the pain that was sure to come.

And it did come, in the form of concentrated druid magic flowing angrily through him like liquid metal, searing his insides and making him scream and forcing his muscles to spasm.

When the druids finally stopped their magic Keith slumped forwards and panted heavily, taking air in great heaving breaths. He felt as if he was still on fire. It must have only been two ticks but Keith knew, with unbridled certainty, that he would never forgot how awful druid magic felt.

"Where is the Base?" A druid asked.

Keith said nothing.

They shot him again and felt could feel his throat already becoming raw from how loud he was screaming. He just wanted them to stop.

 _"You will want nothing more than for it to end. However, it is of the upmost importance that you persevere," The instructor said sternly._

 _Everyone in the room was in the last stage of their training. Keith was, yet again, the youngest of his class. However, throughout the time he had spent with the others he had earned their respect, no longer was he just a dirty halfling._

 _He was Keith, a member of the blade of Marmora. And if anyone ever came by Aubr or Chorrol, his two best friends, they would tell them the same._

 _Aubr and Chorrol were also in this class but they wouldn't be seeing much of each other today._

 _Today the entire class was going to be split up until each student was on their own, and from there the training would commence._

 _"Each of you will receive some information that I will not know. You will then be restrained and I will interrogate you. Find a way to escape. You know what happens from there."_

 _A solemn silence filled the room. There was a reason that people stayed away from becoming an infiltrator and this last stage of training was it._

 _"Knowledge or death." The instructor saluted the cadets._

 _"Knowledge or death." They repeated back in unison._

His screams echoed back at him.

"Tell us or we will force you to." A druid stepped closer and halted its attack, giving Keith a moment of respite. Keith took that moment to swallow the drool that had collected in his mouth but remained.

The druid took another step forward raising its arms—

"Let us not waste any more time. We will send a guard in to… persuade him while we handle the other prisoner." Haggar said.

The druid didn't say another word, just turned and left with Haggar. As she exited a Galra soldier came in, but Keith wasn't worried about him.

All he could hear were Haggar's words ringing in his ears. "Handle the other prisoner."

 _Lance_

How had he forgotten that Lance was here too?

His heart sunk and his breathing faltered audibly.

"Afraid, are we?" The Galra soldier sneered as he approached.

Lance was here, but what could they possibly want with him? He wouldn't know where Voltron went, and he doesn't have the blue lion with him. What else could they want? Would they keep him alive until Zarkon could see him? Or-

"Oof!" The breath left Keith's lungs as the Galra landed a punch directly beneath his ribcage, halting his thoughts.

The Galra soldier's piercing laugh rang in his ears. He hit him again, in the same spot, but with his other fist and Keith felt the bruises already beginning to blossom.

Another hit, this time directly to the side of his chest, and a crack rang out in the air along with Keith's scream.

The soldier didn't stop.

Oh, how Keith wanted it to stop.

…

By the time the soldier left Keith felt like he was only made of pain.

Sharp, echoing pain from the broken ribs and fractured bones.

Dull, aching pain from his shoulders and the countless bruises over his body.

Thick, throbbing pain from his black eye, and cut lip.

Searing, heavy pain from the knife wound on his hip.

That had been the last thing the soldier did. Push a long, sharp knife into his skin and then slowly drag it through the flesh across his hip, staring into his face and smiling menacingly. That was when Keith screamed the loudest.

All he wanted was to sleep. He couldn't even keep his eyes open anymore, they stayed shut, unable to warn him of any danger. He could feel himself beginning to drift off, despite the pain, but was pulled back when a shock coursed through his body.

A druid shock.

He could no longer scream; his mouth was left open in silent agony until the immediate pain died down.

"Blade," Haggar's voice echoed around in his head and he forced himself to drag his exhausted eyes up until he was looking at her properly.

What he saw instead hurt him more than any of his wounds.

"Lance." The word escaped him before he could stop it, just a whisper that no one else had heard. He knew that things were going to get much, _much_ worse.

Lance was kneeling before Haggar and her two druids, arms clasped behind his back, wearing only the black skin-tight suit that was under his armor. He was bloodied and beaten, the left side of his face was bruised a dark purple, swollen to the point that he couldn't open his left eye. He was breathing heavily but shakily. Black and red marks where the druid magic had hit were scattered over the skin that Keith could see, but it looked as if they were beginning to fade.

Lance wasn't looking at him, he was staring weakly at the floor and his mouth was turned down in a deep frown.

"I see I was correct in assuming that you knew one another." Haggar spoke smugly. "This will make the process faster…"

Keith heard more than saw Haggar take a small step forward until she was directly behind Lance. There was immense tension in the blue paladin's shoulders but he still did not look away from the ground.

"He," Haggar grabbed Lance by the hair and jerked his head up. Lance closed his eyes and grit his teeth still refusing to look at Keith. "is of no use to us. He knows nothing of what is needed and Zarkon cares only about the black paladin. He would be most useful to us dead."

Please don't. Keith silently begged for her to leave him alone.

"However, since you seem to be set on silence, he may be useful in making you talk."

No. _Please._

"Guard." She called to the Galra soldier from earlier. "Carve the symbol for 'stupid' into this one's shoulder."

Keith's eyes went wide. It was a tradition Zarkon had implemented in his rule that any traitorous soldiers would be subject to a carving ceremony, where upon traitors would have foul words carved into their flesh. If the victim hadn't already bled out from their wounds then they would be finished off by someone snapping their neck.

In cases where the traitor was well known or high in command Haggar herself would sometimes root around in the traitor's head to find the words that would hurt the most. The things that they sometimes couldn't help but to believe were true.

He knew that she would do the same to Lance. He had already let her in, something that he had not been trained against like Keith had. She had already been able to root around in his mind and pull out his insecurities.

The guard came in with a revolting smile that sent chills down Keith's spine. He pulled out the same knife that he had used to cut Keith and kneeled down beside Lance. Another soldier came in to hold Lance down.

And then he began.

Lance didn't scream. Not at first. He seemed too tired, too exhausted to even make a sound. But at the third slash he began to whimper. They were small, heart wrenching sounds, that hurt Keith like a knife to his own flesh. Lance was crying, eyes still closed, head turned away from his right side where the soldier was carving as if it would minimize the pain.

Keith's mouth was slightly open, his own eyes burning with unshed tears. But still he said nothing.

Haggar watched him closely, but he was watching Lance and didn't notice.

The symbol was finished and the soldier looked to Haggar, waiting for her next command.

"The symbol 'useless' on his other shoulder." Lance let out a sob but immediately shut his mouth to prevent any more sounds from escaping. His eyes fluttered momentarily but he screwed them shut as he waited for the soldiers to switch sides.

This symbol was nasty and had much wider lines, requiring the soldier to cut deeper into Lance's once flawless brown skin. It wasn't long before Lance was letting out cries of pain and fighting weakly to get away.

Keith's claws were cutting into his hands and his heart was breaking, but still he wouldn't speak.

The soldier looked to Haggar once again.

"This one will go on his back." She paused as if think about which word she would choose.

"Make it…" She trailed off before finally finishing, her voice ominous. "Annoying."

This time Lance's eyes opened wide (His left eye opened as wide as the swelling would allow) and he said in a broken voice, "Please, don't." He sobbed, trying to pull away from the guards but it was pointless to struggle, as weak as he was.

Keith looked into Lance's eyes and saw how shattered they were. He could see right into his very soul and he knew that he would never be the same after this. Neither of them would.

The soldier positioned himself and began the process. This would be the largest and most detailed symbol so far, as it meant many things to the Galra. This would be the worst one.

Lance screamed, yanking himself back and forth to try and escape the other Galra's grasp but he grabbed him by the throat and squeezed his jugular until he could no longer scream or fight.

"…stop." Keith whispered. No one heard.

"Stop." He said it again, louder. Still no one heard. Still the soldiers tortured Lance.

"Please! Stop!" Keith sobbed out as loud as his scratched vocal cords would allow. The guard loosened his hold around Lance's neck, grabbing his shoulders instead. The blue paladin took in a breath before coughing violently. The other soldier didn't stop carving.

"He speaks." Haggar remarked humorlessly.

"Stop it!" Keith shouted as best he could, directing his remark to the soldier who was on the last stroke of the symbol.

"He needn't stop, he is finished." And he was. The soldier stood and wiped the blood from his knife onto Lance's suit beside the carving. Lance was breathing heavily, sobbing when he found enough air to do so.

"Where is the base." It was not a question. It was a demand.

Keith sobbed. He knew what was going to happen next and he couldn't…

"I can't…" He whispered. He couldn't let his family be killed. All of the people… the Blade would be devastated. It would be almost impossible to come back from an attack on the headquarters.

He couldn't tell her.

"What is it you Blades like to say?" She asked, stepping closer to Lance, causing the two guards to step away to allow her room.

"Knowledge or death." She answered for him, placing one hand below Lance's chin and another on top of his head.

"You tell me where the base is, or I break his neck. You have five ticks."

He felt the air leave his lungs.

"Four."

A sob left his lips.

"Three."

 _I'm so sorry._

"Two."

 _I'm sorry dad, papa._

"I'll tell you." Keith cried out.

He gave her the coordinates.

She gave Keith a wicked smile and released Lance, letting his beaten body slump forward and weep quietly.

She and everyone else in the room left without a word. Keith waited until the door was shut and he heard the lock slide into place before calling out.

"Lance." At first, he did not recognize his own voice, as it was broken and heavy with grief. Lance didn't look up but Keith could see his shoulders shake as he cried.

"…Lance… Please…" He didn't know what he wanted. He gave Haggar the information she wanted, but only after letting Lance be cut up and beaten and it was all his fault. If he had just told her the second he saw Lance he wouldn't be- he wouldn't be…

Carved.

He needed out of the hand cuffs. Now.

He wriggled his arms and his shoulders protested at the movement, burning from being stretched upright for so long. He could just barely turn his wrists, there was no way he could just slip out of his restraints.

He couldn't- he was- how…

He was stuck.

He needed out _right now._ He needed to get to Lance. He was _right in front of him,_ but all he could do was watch as he sobbed in pain and curled in on himself despite the way his arms were awkwardly restrained behind his back.

Keith thrashed with renewed vigor and still he couldn't not pull his hands free.

 _"You will want nothing more than for it to end. However, it is of the upmost importance that you persevere."_

The instructor's voice rang out in his mind. He had been in this situation before with his training. He had gotten out of restraints, just like every other cadet that passed the tests.

So how did he do it that day?

Slowly it came back to him. He could remember the chair that he had been strapped into and how tight the restraints had been. They had been worse than the ones he was in now.

How did he get out?

Then it hit him. In his panic, he had forgotten his biggest strength.

He took three deep breaths to calm himself and let his mind focus. He forced himself to ignore Lance, to harden his heart for a moment, and take his mind elsewhere. He needed something to hold onto.

The humming that he had heard when he first awoke. He let the memory of the soothing sound wash over him and slowly he could feel his body change. Piece by piece he changed from Galra to Human until his wrists and hands were small enough to pull free.

His arms dropped and the following pain of blood rushing through his veins did not surprise him. However, he didn't let the feeling stop him from moving to Lance's side.

He looked at Lance's restraints first and saw they were made of a thin but strong wire wrapped in a figure 8 around his wrists. Keith found a weak point in the wire and did his best to break it. The restraint was strong, but Keith was stronger.

He broke the section and then unwound the wire from the blue paladin's wrists. The wire left angry red marks, but no other wound.

"Oh Lance…" Lance whimpered and drew his hands to his chest.

"How-" a hiccupping sob, "How bad is it?" He asked weakly, referring to the mark on his back.

The mark was made of angry circles and lines dividing each circle in a specific way. It was as large as his Galra hand. The cut was still bleeding but the edges were growing darker as the blood dried and clotted.

It would scar. All of the marks would.

"You're going to be okay…" Keith told him. Lance turned around to face him for the first time.

His gaze was broken and there seemed to be an endless supply of tears coming from his eyes.

"She s-s-said those… _horrible_ things." His voice broke and Keith thought that if one could really have a soul then his was breaking along with Lance's voice.

Keith wasn't one to initiate physical contact. That just wasn't something that he was used to, but in this moment, he felt as if it was the only thing he _could_ do.

He opened his arms, his own tears forming, and let Lance curl into his chest and cry. Keith was careful to avoid touching any of the carvings and gently wrapped his arms around Lance until he could rub his hair.

"None of the things she said were true. You are _so important_. Never have you been useless, and you are smart. You can follow along with Pidge and Hunk's conversations, and you are amazing in battle. It was incredible fighting beside you."

Lance sobbed harder.

"And never, in all the time I've known you, have I thought you were annoying." Lance hiccupped and pulled his face out of where he had buried it in the crook of Keith's neck

"Really?"

"Really. I respect you. You are a strong individual and there is never a dull moment when you are around. Everyone on the castle cares about you. Me included. Lance, you are irreplaceable, and nothing will ever change that."

Lance said nothing but a weak smile made its way onto his face and he silently tucked his face back into Keith's chest, resting there and letting his hiccupping sobs fade away. Keith leaned back into the wall, still cradling Lance in his arms.

It wasn't long before Lance was asleep and Keith could feel his own exhaustion catching up with him, but he tried to fight it off.

He knew that this moment wouldn't last forever. Haggar would be back eventually. Once she found out what he had done.

Once she figured out where the coordinates really led.

He wanted to be able to fight as much as he could when she came back. Maybe give Lance time to escape while he fought off her druids.

He glanced to the corner of the cell where his Blade was. Haggar had made the mistake of throwing it in here. It was within reaching distance so he left it for now, so as not to disturb Lance. He would let him rest and get his strength back. Keith would watch over him and wait until he was ready.

That was the plan at least.

But Keith was no god and his body demanded a rest, his mind having no say in the decision. Before he could blink Keith was asleep with Lance pulled tight to his chest, safe in his arms, and a feeling of peace running through his veins.

* * *

 **I'll post the next chapter tomorrow!**


	21. Chapter 21

**This entire chapter is only what happened to Aubr and Chorrol.**

Keith, Chorrol, and Aubr were all sitting together in Aubr's housing unit. She was lucky enough to get a room facing the closest star, giving the room a wonderful soft blue light and a beautiful view of space.

They had begun to hang out more frequently here, it was quiet and calming. There was also no worry of disturbing other family members (Keith's unit) or quick to anger neighbors (Chorrol's unit) so they had decided that this would be the place they would relax before their next mission, which was tomorrow.

"Aubr!" Chorrol yelled from the kitchen area to the living room where Aubr and Keith were playing a strategy game together.

"What?" She called back, not taking her eyes from the game. Keith was two plays away from destroying her base.

"Ugg! You _know_ what!" Chorrol complained. Aubr smiled, she _did_ know what. Aubr was taller than both Keith and Chorrol by quite a bit. She had the advantage of being able to reach the top shelf of the cabinet, which was where she liked to keep her cups. Despite the amount of times that the two of them complained she still wouldn't lower them.

"Get the poor man a cup." Keith laughed as he took her base with his last move, winning the game.

"Fine!" Aubr said in a fake exasperated voice. She smiled and walked into the kitchen with Keith following. Chorrol was standing with his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for her.

"Why do you do this to me?" Chorrol asked her dramatically. "To us?!" He threw an arm around Keith's shoulder when Keith got close enough. "Us poor, poor, vertically challenged beings."

This made Aubr chuckle.

"You could just get a chair you know." She said as she opened the cabinet.

"A chair!" Chorrol exclaimed.

Keith couldn't help but to laugh loudly at them. They knew what had happened the last time Chorrol had tried to use a chair to get a cup.

"Oh wait, that's right! You can't even balance on a _stable_ chair long enough to get a cup!" Aubr teased him as she reached up and grabbed a cup.

"Oh yeah?" Chorrol lunged at her, tickling her vulnerable sides.

Aubr _screeched_. The cup she had grabbed fell to the floor as she laughed and tried to bat him away. Keith sighed, smiling to himself at their antics, before grabbing the cup from the floor and getting himself a drink.

He let the two of them fight it out for a while when suddenly it was quiet. Keith glanced up from his drink, mildly concerned about what he would see.

They were staring at each other silently, Chorrol's arms around Aubr's waist and Aubr's arms over his shoulders.

 _Do it._ He thought to himself. _Quit putting it off and do it._ Keith was tired of watching them dance around each other like they were walking on eggshells. And even though he had feelings for Chorrol, he knew that nothing would ever come of it. He and Aubr were good for each other and he would be happy for them no matter what.

 _If they would just fraking do it already._

The longer the two of them stared at each other the more aggravated Keith got. He gripped his cup and didn't move an inch.

He waited.

And waited.

Then, _finally,_ Chorrol pushed himself up on his toes and Aubr lowered herself until their lips met in the middle.

"Thank the fates!" Keith exclaimed as he threw himself back against the couch. Aubr and Chorrol both startled away from each other.

"I didn't mean too-"

"Sorry!"

"Oh, don't be shy now. I'm just happy I don't have to hear you two whispering to me about the other like you had some big secret. Everyone but you two could see it." Keith remarked, tipping his cup to his lips.

"No!" Aubr said in disbelief.

Keith took a drink. "Yep. Kolivan and Thace had a bet on who would ask to court first."

Chorrol's mouth fell but he said nothing.

"I guess they both lose." Keith thought aloud. Kolivan had his money on Aubr, ever the traditionalist. And Thace… well, he just loved a good gamble.

"Alright Chorrol," Keith drew the other man's attention. "You owe me a game." He gestured to the game that he had beat Aubr in.

Aubr had been too cautious and didn't move her soldiers to position in time, leading Keith to a quick victory. But Keith knew he would have a much harder time against Chorrol; he may not be the quickest or the strongest strategist, but he was clever. He would set up traps that would destroy Keith's army even after he thought he had won.

"Ready to lose again?!" Chorrol taunted, making his way to seat himself beside Keith.

"Not this time." Keith mumbled. Aubr went to the kitchen and fixed two drinks, one for herself and one for Chorrol, who was already deep in game mode. She sat on the other side of Keith and watched the game unfold attentively.

It wasn't long until his impatience got the best of him and he quickly lost his lead.

In the end Chorrol won just like he always did, but Keith didn't mind.

…

The mission had begun.

The first thing they did was get forged papers. As far as the Galra would know, they were transfers there to help unload the ships to the trading dock.

Their real mission was to get into the trading dock's records and steal all of the routes that the ships would be using. All of the ships records, not just trading ships but prisoner ships and battle ships too, were kept in the central trading dock they were infiltrating.

They would not have clearance past the unloading bay, that was when things would get difficult. But they had trained for this situation. Keith was confident that they would get the required information.

When the three of them arrived in their (stolen) Galra flyer they quickly made their way to the nearest command station. They showed the soldier who was in charge the forged papers and were sent to a nearby ship to begin unloading.

The soldier in charge there assigned them some cargo and told them to take it to the third transport ship on the left. Each of them dragged a cart behind them with their cargo.

They started out in the direction they were supposed to be going, but changed course as soon as they were out of the soldier's line of sight.

The central command station was… well… central to everything else in the base. They would have to pass under the watchful eyes of many soldiers and sentries alike, which was why they checked in and grabbed some cargo. Hopefully it would lower any suspicions.

Aubr led the way, passing through check points and keeping her head down. They were one more gate away from their destination before they were stopped by a guard.

"What are you all doing here? There are no ships in this docking bay." The guard scrutinized each of them in turn.

"We are just going where we were told." Aubr answered him.

"And were would that be?"

This time Chorrol spoke up. "Yeah, they said the guy up in central command called for this stuff specifically."

"Fraking Letlo, never telling any of us what he's up to." The guard growled. "Well go on then! Quit wasting my time!"

They hurried along, not saying a word in response.

The maintenance tunnels were in sight so they ditched the cargo in an out-of-the-way hallway and hurried to them.

Aubr got out the auto-hacker tool that would open the tunnel and shut down the cameras while Chorrol and Keith kept watch. When she was done they filed into the tunnel. Keith went first, then Chorrol, then Aubr.

They were systematically charting their way through the tunnel, marking the walls on either side with a white paint so they could come back without getting lost down any of the hundreds of side passages.

Getting _to_ the central room was easy though. There were lights only in the biggest tunnels that led to central command, so all they had to do was get to one of the three biggest tunnels and follow it.

Keith was able to walk perfectly upright, but Aubr and Chorrol had to duck down at an awkward angle to fit. Luckily, they didn't have to walk like that for long. They reached the end of the tunnel. Aubr passed Keith the device and he set it against the raised metal of the wall before him. In seconds the wall was moving, retracting to the side to open and reveal a command room with no one inside.

Keith silently walked into the room with his blade drawn, looking for the Galra who should have been running things.

There was no one in here.

There was no reason for there not to be at least one, if not two, people in here at any given time. Something was terribly wrong.

He looked to his two best friends and saw that they had come to the same conclusion.

This had to be a trap.

"We have to hurry," Chorrol murmured. Keith and Aubr nodded their agreement. Keith pulled the storage device with the pre-installed virus from his pocket and approached the control panel.

Chorrol stood by the door with his Blade drawn, ready to kill anyone who walked in, while Aubr positioned herself on the other end of the control panel to disable any and all alarms she could find.

Once Keith inserted the device it didn't take long for the download to begin. It would take thirty ticks for everything to be transferred, but every tick felt drawn out and slowed down by the anxiety creeping through his veins.

If this was a trap it wasn't a very good one because they were still getting the information they came for and not a single person had come to stop them yet.

Keith picked at the hilt of his sword anxiously, loud enough for Aubr to hear.

"Keith." She placed her hand over his and looked him in the eye. "We got this." She smiled and Keith let himself believe her. They could do this. Even if it was some kind of trap.

The download completed and Keith removed the flash drive, holding it tightly in his right hand and pulling his sword into his left.

"It's done. Guys-" Before Keith could finish a harsh hissing sound filled the air. All of their attention was turned to the maintenance tunnel, which was filling with a pale gas.

Looked like they wouldn't be going back that way.

They didn't waste their time trying to figure out how to stop it, they just grouped up by the real door and prepared for a battle.

The door wasn't even halfway open before shots were being fired into the room, sending them to the sides to avoid fire.

"Aubr!" Keith shouted over the sound.

"I got it!" She yelled back. She held her double throwing knives in a light grip, taking a small breath before darting low across the door way. She threw the blades with deadly precision and when she summoned them back to herself with her Luxite magnet gloves the blades passed through three more sentries.

The attack ceased for a moment, just long enough for Keith and Chorrol to get out of their cover and begin slashing through what was left of their assailants. They made a path, Aubr right behind them, until they were out of central command and back on the main floor.

Not a moment later all of the alarms went off. The group of three ran faster, fighting off waves and waves of soldiers and sentries alike. They seemed to be never ending, the closer they got to the flyer the more enemies they had to fight.

Keith was beginning to think they wouldn't be getting out.

Flashes of purple light were all he could see by. Sirens wailed and screamed and pierced at his eardrums. His breath was ragged and his legs burned from running so hard.

There were friendly footsteps beside him, hard metallic steps behind.

The flash drive dug into his right palm, his sword hilt was gripped tightly in his left. Various cuts and bruises throbbed with every beat of his heart.

They were so close.

But they were too far.

Aubr cried out. Keith cut down the last soldier to get to her. Chorrol was already by her side, trying to pull her up from the ground. She just kept telling him to go without her.

She had been shot in her right knee and foot and couldn't walk. All of the breath left Keith's lungs.

 _No._

More shots were being fired as another group of sentries found them. They didn't have time for this.

"We are too far from the flyer, leave me, I'll buy you some time." Aubr insisted through grit teeth as she clutched her leg in pain.

"Like frell you will!" Chorrol shouted and Keith couldn't help but to agree.

"The mission is the most important thing!" She cried, tears running down her face.

"New plan!" Keith shouted, grabbing at Aubr, trying to lift her up like Chorrol had a moment ago. "We get to the emergency pods one gate over." He pointed to where they should have been located. If they could get there they had a chance.

Aubr had no choice but to let the two of them lift her up, supporting her on either side. The sentries were closing in, they were only a few hundred meters away.

The group turned a corner and the escape pods were in sight.

The gas from the maintenance tunnels was beginning to spill through the cracks in the floor setting an eerie fog like cloud all over the ground.

A stray laser meant for one of them missed and was sent directly into a large cloud of the gas.

Where it then ignited.

The resulting explosion sent the small group flying forwards and the walls around them to begin to collapse.

Keith forced his body up from the floor, sheathing his blade and searching momentarily for the flash drive that had been sent out of his grasp by his fall. He saw it a few paces ahead and ran to grab it. It was only when he had picked it up did he hear Chorrol and Aubr both cry out.

He turned around and saw that they had both been trapped under a huge piece of debris.

"Chorrol! Aubr!" He ran back to them, pocketing the flash drive and trying to lift the large piece of metal off of his best friends.

His family.

Chorrol was trapped lying face down, but he did his best to help Keith push it up. Aubr was on her side, the metal edges cutting into her flesh. She was very quiet. Keith could see her gaze lazily meeting his but she wasn't really seeing him.

She was in bad shape.

Keith pushed as hard as he could and Chorrol managed to wriggle his way out from underneath.

"Come on Aubr!" Chorrol grit out trying to help Keith lift it high enough to allow her room to move.

She didn't respond to him.

Keith pushed and pushed but he just couldn't get it to go any further. Out of the corner of his eye he saw an approaching army, coming to end them.

"Stop," Aubr whispered. Keith turned to her immediately, Chorrol crouched down by her and held her hand.

"I can't leave you here to die." He said. If a broken heart had a sound it was Chorrol's voice in that moment.

"You… can and you w-will." Aubr's words may have been brave but her eyes were terrified. Keith couldn't look any longer.

He pushed on the debris again, screaming to the fates and anyone else that could hear. "Move!"

The army was nearer, laser shots blazing past Keith's head, but still he would not stop trying to push the debris off of his dying best friend.

"Please!" He cried. He could feel the strain of his muscles about to give out and he was terrified that they would stop working all together.

"Keith get out of here!" Chorrol screamed in his ear.

"What? No way! I'm not leaving you two!" Keith cried out. The army was only meters away.

Suddenly there were strong hands grabbing his shoulders and pulling him away from the debris, tossing him in the direction of the escape pod that was only a few paces away.

Keith stumbled to a stop and turned around. Chorrol was standing in the way.

"Go!" Chorrol shouted.

"I can't!" The tears burned his eyes.

Chorrol got in his face. "You have to." Keith was frozen. "I'm sorry." Chorrol pulled Keith into his arms and embraced him. "You know we love you, Keith." With that he shoved Keith.

Hard.

Keith's back hit the inside of the escape pod and the door shut before he could even stand. Through the large glass window, he saw Chorrol run back to Aubr, sword drawn, ready to face an entire army.

He made eye contact with Aubr and saw her mouth the words, "Goodbye. We love you," before the pod was sent soaring into space.

He screamed and cried and cursed the fates as the pod got further and further from his only friends. The pod must have been miles away when the trading docks finally exploded, the gas blowing up near an exterior wall and sending the whole place crashing.

Keith didn't know what to do.

He punched the walls of the pod angrily until his fists were reduced to a bloody pulp. Then he screamed until his voice was raw and painful.

And then he cried.

It was a silent kind of crying, the only exception being the occasional hiccupping breath.

How he supposed to react when overcome by grief?

He cried himself to sleep.

When he woke up he didn't know how long it had been or where he was, but he did know that something had gone wrong.

He checked the escape pod and realized that it was on power conservation mode. He had about six vargas worth of air and energy left.

He cursed himself for not setting course to a blade base sooner and quickly adjusted the coordinates.

It would take about five and a half vargas to get there, he was pushing it, but he honestly didn't care.

He felt like he was dead anyways. A piece of him died with his best friends.

He sat in the silent pod with nothing to do. Usually long trips didn't bother him, but suddenly he realized he had always had something to do. Someone he could talk to, or play a game with, or share stories together.

Now there was no one.

The silence suddenly became deafening and he flattened his ears to his head and smashed his hands against them.

 _Make it stop._

He saw the debris Chorrol and Aubr were trapped under.

 _Stop._

He felt the fear rolling off of Aubr in waves.

 _Please…_

He saw the last explosion…

"Stop!" He shouted and pushed himself out of the chair. He curled up on the ground, trying to make himself as small as possible to try to hide from the memories. The nightmares.

The silence persisted.

He laid, crying on the floor of the pod, for the five and a half vargas it took to get to the nearest Blade base.

* * *

 **Haha... oops...**


	22. Chapter 22

Keith awoke to the sound of the cell door opening slowly. His eyes snapped open and he reached for the blade by his side. He had promised himself that he would hold off the guards until Lance could escape and he intended to keep that promise.

The guard saw him his eyes widening when he realized where Keith was. Keith fumbled in the darkness but couldn't find his blade in his panic.

"How did you get out of your shackles?" the guard growled.

Lance had woken up by this point and he shouted when the soldier yanked him away from Keith and threw him towards the other soldier that was standing in the doorway.

"No!" Keith screamed and tackled the guard before him. He directed the blow into his stomach which forced the soldier's body to fold in half.

Distantly Keith could hear Lance shouting from the doorway but he couldn't stop to see what was happening, he had his own battle to fight right now.

The soldier's back smashed into the wall and he let out an 'oof' sound as the air was crushed from his lungs. Keith brought back his fist and drove it into a soft spot on his lower armor only to find that the soldier wasn't wearing any lower armor.

Strange.

He didn't let this stall him though and he continued wailing his fists into the guard. He realized only a moment too late that he had left himself wide open.

The soldier brought his knee up into Keith's sternum, stunning him. Keith felt his ribs crack on impact and coughed out painfully. The soldier used that moment of weakness to grab his wrists and shove Keith violently to the floor. He pinned his arms above his head and sat on Keith's hips.

He was trapped. The soldier weighed much more than Keith and there was no way for him to get out of this position without the soldier moving.

"I see now." The soldier grinned maliciously. Keith hoped that he had stalled him long enough for Lance to get away. "I had my suspicions but I know for sure now. You're a little halfling. A little waste of space."

Keith realized all at once that he had reverted to his relaxed state. He looked more human than Galra. He was the size of a human, he had more skin than fur, and his eyes were poorly adjusted to the dark.

He struggled harder.

"Give up," the guard hissed. "Submit."

It was with those words that he finally understood. He understood why the guard wasn't wearing the 'regulated' lower armor. He knew why he hadn't been picked up and thrown out of the cell to wherever the witch commanded. He understood, finally, the reason that the guard was leaning down and breathing his hot breath right into Keith's face.

"I will never submit to you." Though his words were filled with heat Keith felt as if he was slowly freezing over inside. This soldier, this plag, was going to have his way with him and no one was going to stop him.

He had heard of prisoners being attacked like this and though the empire may have been evil they did not tolerate such actions. The punishment for rape was to be thrown into the arena where they would fight for the right to return to the ranks of the empire. But, when there was no one who knew and the only other guard was going to turn a blind eye there wasn't much the 'empire' would be able to do about this.

The guard grinned sadistically and gathered Keith's wrists into one of his large hands and wrapping his now free hand around Keith's throat, his claws digging into his skin.

"You will submit to me whether you want to or _not_." The guard emphasized his words by squeezing his fingers tightly. Keith tried to breathe through his now constricted airway but couldn't even gasp. He kicked his legs out, pounding his bare feet on the floor and trying to wrestle his wrists free. He tried to scream, to get help from _someone_ from _anyone_ on this enemy ship.

To no avail.

He started seeing spots in his vision and his head felt foggy. He thought he might black out… or maybe he was just going to die, it was hard to tell at this point. All he knew anymore was that whatever happened, this soldier was going to have his way with him as soon as he stopped struggling and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

 _At least Lance has a chance…_

That probably would have been his last thought if air hadn't suddenly returned to his struggling lungs. He coughed loudly and painfully. When his vision returned to his he saw Lance standing before him staring at something to Keith's left as he held a Galra soldier's blaster like a bludgeon.

Keith coughed a few more times, taking in as much air as he could as he tried to register what had just happened. Where was the guard?

Lance moved away from Keith, still holding the gun but not aiming it. He was breathing heavily and there was a fire raging in his blue eyes.

Keith followed his fierce gaze and saw the soldier lying on the ground, pushing himself up and clutching a bleeding head wound.

He never got back on his feet because Lance was on him in a moment. He pulled the gun over his head and brought it down powerfully over the soldier's vulnerable spine.

"Shit!" The soldier gasped as he fell back onto his stomach on the ground. Lance brought the butt of the gun down over the soldier again and again, never slowing or hesitating.

Out of the corner of his eye Keith saw his blade, he wasted no time grabbing it.

"Die!" Lance screamed. His voice sounded broken and hoarse. Keith turned back just in time to see the soldier pull his knife- why he had waited this long to do so was beyond him- and blindly stab at Lance behind his back. Lance brought the gun down on the back of the soldier's neck, snapping his spinal cord, at the same time the soldier sunk his knife into the side of Lance's thigh.

Lance screamed and dropped the gun, his hands flying down to his leg as he fell to the floor. The knife was buried in his flesh.

"Lance!" Keith was at his side in half a moment, hands hovering over Lance's wound, unsure of how to proceed.

"Lance- you should have run! What happened to the other guard?" Keith glanced at the open doorway, instinctively curling closer to Lance to protect him.

"We-" Lance grunted in pain. "We struggled and long story short I killed him but somehow, some _fucking way_ his gun got jammed during the struggle or _something_ and I wasted time trying to shoot that bastard on you-" Lance pounded his fist on the floor and hissed as another wave of pain over took him. "But I got him."

Keith glanced at the gun Lance was talking about. "It didn't work because the safety was on." Lance looked at him as if he had grown another head.

"That was it? The quiznaking safety was on?" Lance groaned and rested his head against the wall. "What are we gonna do now? I don't think I can walk."

Keith put his hands over Lance's, which were positioned around the knife. "Let me see." Gently he pulled Lance's hands away.

It could have been worse. There was bleeding of course but it wasn't gushing blood and it seemed to have missed any major arteries. The blade seemed to be stopping most of the blood.

"I think we should leave the knife where it is." Keith flicked his eyes up to Lance's to gauge his reaction.

"What?!"

"Well it would hurt like frell to pull it out and once you did pull it out you would start bleeding out so I think we should just leave it." Lance gulped and nodded his head.

"O-okay, have it your way."

Keith took a breath, steeling his nerves for what they were going to have to do. He had never imagined that he was going to have to escape a Galra ship with the witch herself on it. The already challenging escape attempt was going to increase in difficulty tenfold.

"Keith," Lance's voice was soft, drawing his attention immediately. "Are _you_ alright?" Slowly, carefully, Lance reached out and gently traced his fingers over the blooming bruises on his neck until he was hovering over the cuts where the Galra's claws had dug into his skin.

Keith tried not to think about it, tried to block it out of his memory and hoped that he would be able to forget what almost happened as soon as possible.

"You're okay." Keith said as he placed his hand tenderly on Lance's brown cheek. Lance leaned into his hand, placing one of his own hands over top of Keith's.

"That's not what I asked." Lance's eyes were worried, his shoulders held strongly in false confidence. Keith could tell by the way they trembled that Lance was actually terrified.

 _But that's what matters._ Keith thought, his heart speaking for him. He didn't know when he had decided it, but as of right now he wouldn't mind dying as long as Lance got out of here safe.

"What did you say?" Lance's eyes widened as he pulled Keith's hand away.

"I didn't say anything." Keith answered. He truly had not spoken.

"No, I heard you say, 'but that's what matters.' Your lips didn't move but it was your voice." Lance pulled his eyebrows together, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"I-" Keith stopped.

He heard loud foot steps fast approaching, two hallways down. His ears flickered, listening for anything else he might have missed.

"What is it?" Lance whispered, noticing Keith's divided attention.

"They're coming." He looked directly into Lance's eyes. "We have to go now if we ever want to get out." Lance nodded and held his hands out to Keith so he could help him up.

As soon as Lance stood he hissed out in pain and shifted so there was no weight on his right leg. "Quiznaking knife in my quiznaking leg. Keith, I can't walk like this." The knife was sticking out awkwardly and whenever Lance moved it wobbled.

Keith looked for something that he could make a crutch out of but there was nothing in the room, just a gun and a dead guard.

"I have an idea Keith."

"Hope it's a good one."

"Hey! Its amazing. So, grab me that gun and take the safety off." Keith did just that.

"One gun isn't going to do much against an army of Galra."

"Shut up and carry me." Lance made a grabby motion with his hand like a toddler asking to be picked up. Keith rolled his eyes, a grin daring to show through in their less than ideal situation. Keith tucked his knife into his waistband and hoisted Lance up, holding him to his chest and trying his best not to touch the knife in his leg. Lance let out a shaky breath and wrapped one arm around Keith's neck for stability and the other on the trigger of the gun.

"Alright let's go." As soon as the words left Lance's mouth an electrifying shock was sent coursing through both of them as a druid materialized beside Keith.

Keith tried not to drop Lance but the longer the druid sustained its shock the weaker Keith's knees got. He collapsed, Lance landing right on top of him. The druid didn't stop when they hit the floor, they kept going until Keith thought his insides were boiling and his skin had come away from his bones.

Finally, when Keith was on the verge of blacking out, the druid ceased their attack. He couldn't move, the only thing his screaming body could manage was to keep his heart beating.

"Thought you could escape, did you?" The witch's voice came to him as if through a static filled channel. It felt distant and broken up. "We saw everything on the video feed." She said matter-of-factly.

"Take the paladin to a separate cell, make sure that he lives."

"I… thought you…" Lance somehow found a way to speak, something Keith couldn't even imagine doing at this point. "…said I was… better… dead to you." The hoarseness in his words altered his voice, making it sound as if he was growling.

"It seems you have never heard of a bluff." A druid answered. A soldier came and pulled Lance off of Keith before putting the blue paladin's hands behind his back and restraining them. Keith managed to crack his eyes open and watch them take Lance from the cell.

It was the last thing he saw before another shock coursed through his body and he really did black out.

…

When he woke again his entire body was screaming in agony and he wished for just instant that he had never woken in the first place.

But, of course, fate had not granted him such a luxury.

He was chained to the wall of the cell (whether or not it was the same cell he had been in all this time he didn't know) but his chains were painfully tight. He reverted his wrists and ankles to his smaller human form to try to relieve the pressure but it didn't change much, he was still stuck in place.

He glanced down to where he had put his knife in his waist band. There was nothing there.

They must not have wanted him escaping again. Good for them.

The coldness of the floor he was lying on was almost soothing to his aching body. A small comfort if there ever was any. Sadly, the temperature of the floor was unable to cure the increasingly painful hunger cramps in his stomach or the desert like dryness in his throat. He hadn't had anything to eat or drink since he had gotten here.

And that must have been quintants ago.

Keith wanted to believe that this was just a minor setback. That he would find a way to get out of these chains and this cell and he would find Lance. That together they would get out of here and back to Voltron where they could reunite and find the pilot of the red lion.

But he was tired.

He was so tired that just the thought of trying to get out of the chains was making his eyelids droop and his body grow heavy as it urged him to just stay put.

He knew that the witch wanted Lance alive. That meant that for now he was safe. If they couldn't get out Voltron would eventually come and rescue Lance… The same could not be said for him. The Blade never mounted rescue missions.

He knew this yet he kept getting captured left and right it seemed.

 _Oh god_. Keith thought suddenly.

What happened to Z?

 _My dads are gonna kill her if she isn't captured like me. I never should have gotten her involved._

There was nothing he could do to help her now. Except maybe get out of his cell and back to the Blade.

The more he thought about it the harder the task appeared until he decided that he was too exhausted to even imagine a scenario where he got out alive. He tried to roll into a more comfortable position.

 _I can't do anything now, I'll try to regain my strength and try again when I wake._

And so, Keith slept.

…

Lance POV

After they had thrown him in a separate cell and chained his ankle to the wall a druid pulled the knife from his leg and sealed it with an excruciating magic. Once that was done a guard brought him a plate of food and a dirty cup of water. He hadn't even realized how hungry he was until his cup was empty and he was finished with the plate. (He would never take food goo for granted ever again)

He rested his back against the wall and sighed.

Even though Lance was sore he knew that Keith had it worse. The druid had shocked Keith directly and Lance had just been along for the ride.

He hoped Keith was alright. If Keith died… Well, Lance didn't know what he would do, but he definitely wouldn't let his killer get away. He would avenge him even if he had to face Zarkon himself.

That man deserved death either way. Only a twisted wicked soul would think up a thing like the Carvings.

Carefully Lance moved his shoulder so he could see the marks that had been carved. He sighed. He knew the marks would scar, even with the Altean's superior healing pods and modern medicine. However, it didn't stop him from hoping that maybe, by some miracle, the pod would fully erase the marks from his skin.

A sick twisting in his stomach told him that the lines meant 'useless.' If he hadn't known any better the symbol would just look like an intricately designed pattern and he tried to convince himself that that was all it was. An intricate pattern…

It wasn't working.

He changed his tactics. He knew what Haggar had carved into his skin. He would never be able to forget. So instead of trying to forget he decided that he would remember.

He would remember what Keith had said.

 _Never have you been useless, and you are smart. You can follow along with Pidge and Hunk's conversations, and you are amazing in battle. It was incredible fighting beside you._

He didn't think Keith realized how important those words were to him. Just like Keith didn't realize how important he was to Voltron.

To Lance.

When he had heard Pidge say Keith's name over the comms he had almost flew his lion right into the side of the ship. He understood now that screaming at Pidge and asking a thousand questions may not have been the best thing to do and he told himself that he would need to do something for her to apologize when he got back.

And when he heard Keith begging for help through Pidge's helmet his heart felt like it was being pulled in two directions. Relief at hearing Keith and terror that Pidge had been hurt enough to have passed out.

Honestly that was the last push he needed to come storming into the ship. He made sure that the castle had grabbed the blue lion with the tractor beam and charged in.

He made his way to the bay doors, shooting and fighting his way to his friends. He didn't lower his Bayard even when he was coming around the corner and it was a good thing too, because there was a druid directly behind them.

He shot at the druid and it vanished. Pidge had woken up in Keith's arms but it was Keith who held his attention. He tried not to be overwhelmed by the fact that Keith was _actually there_ , right in front of him.

He now he was gone, stuck in some cell in this hell scape of a ship, and Lance was alone in his cell like he had been when he had first woken up.

He wrapped his arms around his knee (his other leg lay flat so as to avoid any irritation of the wound) and rested his head against his hands.

Before he knew it he was humming, just like when he had been alone in his cell last time. The tune was upbeat and happy, but anyone who knew the lyrics would tell you it was a gloomy song.

His older sister loved the song dearly (she had learned it from their mother) and his brother used to sing it with her every time she visited. Lance would often wait in hallways and listen, not letting himself be seen because his brother was bashful and wouldn't sing in front of many people.

The real treat though, was when his mother joined in. She would sing a verse or two in her soft voice and then she would try to make everyone else sing until the whole family was singing (somewhat off key) in unison. It was the song he would sing to himself when he missed them, and he sang it often.

 _The other night dear, as I lay sleeping_

 _I dreamed I held you in my arms_

 _But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken_

 _So I bowed my head and I cried_

As he hummed he tried to remember his mother's voice. He tried to remember every nuiance of the sound but found that he could only recall scraps.

With melancholy seeping into his heart he opened his mouth and sang the next part with a shaky, breathy, and broken voice.

 _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

 _You make me happy when skies are gray_

 _You'll never know dear, how much I love you_

 _Please don't take my sunshine away_


	23. Chapter 23

Hunk POV

When the team had finally worm holed out of there with the scaltrite they had gotten from the space mall everyone was silent.

Pidge was the first one to break down. She became hysterical saying, "We _have_ to go back! Now!" She weakly tugged on Allura's jumpsuit. "They got them, they got Lance and Keith!" Fat tears rolled down her cheeks but Allura didn't respond. Her face was blank and her eyes were empty.

They couldn't go back. They were no match for the other three battleships that had appeared and the castle's particle barriers were in desperate need of repairs.

The wounds where Pidge had been struck by druid magic were an angry, throbbing red, and she looked close to collapsing. It was Shiro who finally grabbed Pidge and hauled her over his shoulder to take her to the healing pods. She put up a fight, but was too weak to actually get out of his grasp.

Hunk couldn't help but to cry, sniffling and sobbing quietly as he followed Shiro and Pidge. He wasn't in the best condition, but he would live.

The same could not be said for Keith or Lance.

A whimper left his lips. Lance was gone, just like that.

Lance was his best friend and he was gone.

When they got to the healing room Shiro put Pidge down, intending on leaving to let her dress for the healing pod, but Pidge reached up on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck so she could bury her face in his chest and cry. Shiro hesitated for a moment before wrapping his own arms around her shoulders and holding her tightly.

That was the first time he had seen Shiro cry.

There was a second where they were still, but then there was a whimper from Shiro and he fell to his knees and held Pidge tighter. Hunk couldn't help but to join the whole mess and he wrapped his arms around both of them. Pidge pulled one of her tiny arms off of Shiro to hold on to Hunk.

And they sobbed.

…

Allura POV

Allura and Coran were alone in the bridge once the paladins left. Allura was silent, still in shock from the fight and the fact that one of their paladins had been left behind.

Not even just Lance, Keith had been left behind as well and even though she hadn't trusted him at first purely because of his Galra heritage, he had proven himself trustworthy. She had finally accepted him into her little family, and now he was gone.

It was her fault. If she had been able to maneuver the castle better or maybe come up with a better plan… _something_. But she had failed her paladins and Keith too. When the other battle cruisers had shown up she knew that they wouldn't be able to defeat all of them without Voltron.

They had been so close to getting out of there too. But then that druid attacked Pidge- Thank the above that Keith had been there to protect her- and Lance had to go in without his lion and Hunk had no back up.

They were outnumbered and overpowered.

She had to make the executive decision to leave with the lions and she's still trying to decide if that was the right choice to make.

A hand fell onto her shoulder, pulling her from her inner turmoil.

"Princess. It was not your fault." Coran says softly. Allura turns her gaze to look at him fully. He seemed just as upset as she was.

"But it is Coran. I led them into that fight and I couldn't- I couldn't-" A sob escaped her and she stopped speaking. The sound frightened her. She couldn't break right now. She had to stay strong for the others and the castle needed to be repaired and-

"We couldn't have predicted what happened. The paladins knew what danger they were getting into before we went in. You cannot blame yourself for such a thing." Coran gently pulled her into his arms and rubbed her hair, allowing her to sob into his shoulder.

She supposed that she could allow herself a few dobashes to cry, as long as Coran was there to hold her.

…

Shiro POV

Once Pidge and Hunk had gotten into the healing pods Shiro took a steadying breath and made his way to the bridge to see if Allura and Coran needed any help repairing the castle.

Right now, the most important thing to him was to get the castle in working order again so that they could rescue Lance and Keith from the Galra.

Before they had gone after the red lion they had stopped at the Space mall to pick up a bunch of supplies. They had finally fixed their comms and basically all of the castle was functioning the way it should have been.

Now they would have to fix it all over again.

He was trying his hardest not to lose his faith in Voltron. It seemed like all they did anymore was get in a scrap with the Galra and then spend an un godly amount of time trying to repair the castle. Maybe he would believe in the cause more once he got to pilot the black lion. Whenever he talked with Pidge or Hunk or… or Lance, they always told him that they felt like they could do anything while they were piloting their lions.

He wanted to believe them, so he did. It wasn't like he wasn't for the cause. He would do anything to stop the Galra empire. He may not have been able to remember all of his time under their care, but what he did remember still haunted him. He never had a restful night of sleep, always waking up sweating or screaming multiple times a night.

There were two fights in the Arena that he remembered clearly. That, along with the time that Haggar took his arm. Sometimes he even has phantom pains so bad that he struggles to hide it from the team. He doesn't want them to have to worry about him. He has to be the strong one that everyone else can depend on-

Well… He used to think like that. But after that time Lance found him in the middle of a panic attack he had tried to think differently. Lance had offered him help and comfort if he ever needed it.

Now he was stuck on a Galra battle cruiser just like Shiro had been.

Shiro prayed to every god and deity he could remember that they would keep Lance out of the Arena.

He turned a corner and almost ran into Coran, who was leaving the bridge.

"Oh! Is something wrong Paladin?" Coran asked, surprised.

"No, I was just wondering if there was anything that I could do to help repair the castle?" Shiro answered.

"Oh, well the particle barrier needs to be repaired and the comms went out _again_ and… Actually, I think there is something much more important for you to do. We will wait for the remaining paladins to finish their stays in the pods and then I think that it is time you met the black lion." Coran put a hand on his shoulder, guiding him down a hallway before retracting his hand. "But until they wake up I need you to do some heavy lifting for me."

…

Coran and Allura had gathered the lions in an enormous room, how they got the blue and red lions in here he didn't know and he didn't ask.

"Hey, Shiro?" Pidge got his attention. "It's gonna be okay."

"Do I really look that worried?" Shiro chuckled weakly.

"You look constipated," Hunk offered, appearing at his other side.

"Thanks…" Shiro couldn't help how he was feeling. There had always been a pull. Every time he was in the castle it felt like something was tugging on his soul. Now that he was in this room it felt as if that tugging had turned into an inescapable wrenching of his insides.

Something must have happened while Shiro had been lost in his thoughts, because suddenly the four lions that he was standing in front of let out shocking roars and the Black lion rose out of the castle's floor.

Everything else went silent in place of the black lion's powerful roar. It was almost as if time stood still and Shiro and the Black lion were the only ones who existed anymore. He knew in that moment what the paladins had meant when they said they felt like they could do anything.

He took a hesitant step forwards and the lion lowered its massive head for him to climb into.

…

Together Pidge and Hunk and Shiro did some quick exercises with the lions so that Shiro could get the hang of flying. In the end Shiro was just as good at piloting as the other two were. It seems that his pilot training at the Garrison wasn't for nothing.

When they finally returned to the castle- the castle was stationary, hiding in an asteroid belt of an uninhabited planet- an entire day had gone by.

When they all met in the dining hall for dinner Allura used that time to try and discuss what their next move should be.

"Shiro, how do you feel flying the Black lion? Do you think you would be able to fly if there was an attack?"

"Yes. It feels like I should have been flying Black from the very beginning." Shiro answered the Princess. She smiled, her dark skin creasing around her eyes with sincerity.

"I knew that your quintessence's would match up nicely," She took a breath, now addressing everyone. "I am able to track Lance's Bayard to the Battle cruiser that the red lion was on. It is currently three galaxies away, but it is moving further away with every tick. Coran and I were able to fix the comms and begin work on the particle barrier and other various systems that had been damaged. It will take at least another quintant and a half for us to finish everything up."

"Are we going to go after Lance and Keith once everything is in working order?" Hunk asked.

"We must try," Allura's answer was less than confident. "Until everything can be fixed I need you Paladins to get some rest. Our entire attack is going to depend on you and if you are exhausted… well, not much good can come out of such a thing."

Pidge sighed and turned to Hunk. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep," she whispered to him.

"You have to at least try…" He trailed off. Shiro could tell that he had been thinking the same thing as Pidge.

"How about we all relax together for an hour or so before bed? We can calm down as a team," Shiro suggested. He knew that he never got good sleep anyway and he was pretty sure no one should be left alone right now.

"Yeah I guess so…" Pidge said uncertainly. Hunk just nodded along with Allura. Coran didn't respond at all.

"You too Coran," Shiro said pointedly.

"Me? But I have-"

"Nope. You're just as much a part of this team as anyone else. Plus, when was the last time you slept?" Coran looked away guiltily.

"I suppose I'm due for a little nap soon." Shiro didn't push him further. The dark circles under his eyes and the dullness of his eye scales showed how tired he was. As soon as he laid down he would pass out.

Once dinner was finished they gathered in what Lance had playfully called "The Pit" due to the pit like seating in the middle of the room. Coran brought a blanket for everyone to curl up in at Hunk's request and handed them out according to color.

At first everyone sat separated around the room but gradually they all ended up squished onto one couch talking quietly together.

Allura was on the end, pushed up against Shiro who was squished against Coran who was squeezed beside Hunk who was on the other end of the couch. Pidge, who been adamant about not nodding off, was snoozing on Hunk's soft shoulder, her legs propped on the couch diagonal to her with the blanket wrapped around her like a cocoon. Coran had passed out on Hunk's other shoulder with his arms crossed over his chest and he was snoring softly. Hunk had wrapped his arms around both of them before letting his head fall against the back of the couch and passing out.

Allura and Shiro were the only ones still awake.

"Has Coran always snored?" Shiro asks quietly. Allura smiles fondly as she adjusts herself more comfortably against Shiro's side. Shiro has his right arm over the back of the couch behind her so she has a little more room and he secretly hopes he's not being to forward.

"I'm surprised that he's keeping it so quiet. He used to fall asleep in the strangest places because he would work himself right to exhaustion and pass out. If we ever needed to find him all we had to do was follow the sound of his snoring," Allura recalled with a smile Shiro let out a soft laugh.

"I want to say that I sleep quietly, but ever since this happened," Shiro gestured to the long scar across his nose. "I doubt there is anyway I _don't_ snore." Shiro said with a smile, hoping he could make her laugh.

He was rewarded with a loud snort. As soon as she made the sound Allura covered her mouth in embarrassment but it was too late. Shiro felt his heart flutter as he smiled broadly.

"That was adorable." The words left his mouth before he could stop them and he felt his face flush with heat as he looked away. Now he was the one who was embarrassed. When he finally looked back Allura's already dark face had darkened with blush and there was a small smile on her lips.

Shiro readjusted the black blanket over his lap self-consciously but Allura gently took his hand, tracing small patterns on the back of his palm. She curled up against his side, pulling her legs up against her chest and laying her head on Shiro's chest.

"I don't mind if you snore," She said softly.

Shiro was blushing like a madman and he was sure that she could hear his heart beating out of his chest, but if she noticed she didn't say anything.

Eventually Shiro's mind started working again and he made himself relax, which wasn't too hard once he stopped overreacting. He pulled his arm off from the couch and draped it over her shoulder.

That was how he fell asleep only minutes later, with Allura tracing shapeless patterns on the back of his hand as he held her.

…

The alarm that woke the group was loud and insistent, ripping them from their slumber and making their hearts pound. Pidge fell off of the couch in her surprise and Coran was immediately up and moving towards the Bridge.

"What is this for Allura?" Shiro shouted over the alarm as he followed her out of The Pit.

"There has been a major message sent to all ships that this signal can reach! The alarm is going off because it's from a Galra ship!"

The breath left Shiro's lungs.

"Coran, where is it coming from!" Allura shouted as she jogged into the bridge. Coran was already at his station, typing rapidly on the display screen.

"The signal started four galaxies away, over 200 other ships have also received this message."

"Will the Galra be able to tell that the castle ship received it?" Allura asked as she took her place in the middle of the Command room.

"No, we fixed the identity cloaker, the castle reads as a cargo ship! I'm pulling up the message now."

Pidge and Hunk had walked in and now stood beside Shiro, waiting anxiously for the message to play.

The large window that usually showed the planets and stars they were passing by transformed to a video screen. The symbol for the Galra empire appeared briefly before being replaced with a haunting image.

The video feed showed a Galran prisoner cell from high up- a camera was probably hidden away in the corner of the room recording- Curled in on himself and leaning against the wall was Lance, stripped of his armor and left only with the skin-tight black under suit. There was a restraint attached to his ankle and the wall of the cell.

It felt as if the temperature of the bridge dropped and every breath was unsteady and feeble. Pidge reached out weakly towards Hunk and he automatically pulled her closer.

None of them could tear their eyes away.

The door to the cell opened and Lance's head shot up, his whole body tensed.

Two Galra soldiers walked in. One of them hung back and closed the cell door while the other approached Lance's shaky form. For a moment the soldier didn't move, he just stood over Lance, watching him.

Then he reared his leg back and kicked Lance across his face.

The video had no sound, but Shiro felt like he still heard the resounding crack of metal snapping at bone.

Lance was sent sprawling to the floor but he received no respite when the other soldier grabbed him by his shoulders and hauled him up. Once Lance was standing he shoved Lance against the wall to put him in an arm lock. The soldier whispered something into his ear before pulling him back- still stuck in his hold- and held him before the first soldier.

There was no hesitation in the first soldier's attack. He began pounding his fists against Lance's body, anywhere that he could hit. Lance's mouth was wide in a soundless scream that sent chills through Shiro's body.

The soldier who was holding Lance said something and then he was shoving Lance roughly to the floor. He landed on his right side, the left side of his face already bruised and swelling from where he had been kicked.

When he tried to push himself back up with trembling arms the first soldier pushed him back down by stomping his foot on the injured side of Lance's face and keeping it there. Lance's head hit the ground so hard that blood began pooling on the floor and for a moment Shiro thought he might have been killed right there, for all the universe to see.

A collective gasp left the rest of team Voltron and he knew that they thought the same thing.

The soldier leaned down and said something that made the other soldier smirk before he lifted his foot and left the cell.

Shiro could vaguely hear Hunk sobbing. Pidge's muffled cries also reached his ears, but he wasn't thinking about them. He was staring intently at Lance's form lying on the floor, willing him to move.

"Please…" He said weakly, begging whatever it is that controlled the universe to let Lance be alive.

That was when he moved. Lance pulled his legs up to his chest and lied on the floor in fetal position.

A louder sob was heard from Hunk, then some shuffling. "Pidge, he's alive!" Pidge must have stopped watching before she could see him move.

Shiro tore his eyes away from the screen to look at Allura who was standing by his side. Her eyes were wide and her gaze was far away, as if she was reliving some awful nightmare.

"Allur-"

"This message is for the opposers of the Galra Empire." The Witch's voice rang out horrifyingly through the Castle, cutting off what Shiro had been about to say. The video feed changed to show Haggar, her face hidden in the shadows of her hood. "I know you can track us. Bring the Lions to me. All of them. You have one turn. If you do not comply I will kill your precious paladin." With that the feed changed back to Lance, curled up alone in his cell, bleeding on the floor. The image was only on the screen for a few more moments before the message ended, but when Shiro tried to turn away it was still there, like it had burned itself into the backs of his eyelids.

The Bridge was silent.

Well, as silent as it could be with the quiet sobs coming from Hunk and Pidge. Coran had sat down on the floor and leaned back against his station, hanging his head in his hands as silent tears rans down his cheeks.

Allura hadn't moved. Her eyes were wide and terrified and she was trembling. Shiro took a slow step forward before gently wrapping his arms around her. She didn't move at first, just stood there stiffly. But then she hugged him back and she was supporting Shiro just as much as he was supporting her.

He didn't know what was going to happen next and he didn't want to have to figure it right now.

But he did know that what ever happened, they were going to get Lance back.

…

Lance POV

He didn't know how long he had been in this cell. Days? Weeks? Maybe it had only been hours, but with no clocks or lights that changed intensity he couldn't tell. He had been pacing (More of a limping, halting walk, due to the still-sore knife wound and short chain on his ankle) for a while.

They didn't even give him food regularly. Since he had been moved he had only been fed three other times- once not long after they had fed him the first time, and then the other two were stretched out over a much longer irregular span of time.

Not knowing was starting to get to him. It was making him anxious and no amount of stressed out humming was helping.

He could feel himself getting worked up, sensing a panic attack fast approaching. He stopped his pacing, knowing it was only making it worse and took a few breaths to try and control his racing heart.

His breaths started out in the right direction, slow and steady. But then his mind began to wander again and his breathing sped up and his body started shaking-

And a soft feeling washed over him.

It slowed his out of control thoughts to a halt. It felt as if someone had draped a warm blanket over his mind and he realized that the feeling was that of reassurance.

In that moment he felt like he could calm down.

He held onto that soft feeling until his emotions were steady. As he calmed down the feeling got weaker and weaker until it was gone. He tried to chase after it, to hold on, but it slipped through his fingers like water in a desert.

Before his confusion could set in a blaring alarm began to wail throughout the entire ship, his cell included. Lights flashed, brightness ebbing away only to burst back to full intensity a second later.

Then his cell door crashed open.

His confusion only grew when the person that ran in wasn't a Galra soldier. They were wearing a mask and seemed roughly humanoid, wearing what vaguely reminded him of a space pirate outfit.

"Help me get this chain off!" The person wasted no time in doing so, pulling out a short sword that reminded him of something that he couldn't quite place. The sword sliced right through the main shackle and Lance only allowed himself a single moment to be amazed at such a strong sword before he was heading towards the door, following his- wow, he just noticed how tall this person was- savior.

"Can you slow down a sec?" Lance whispered (It was more of an exacerbated complaint) "I can't really run…" Lance gestured to his leg when the figure turned back to look at him. The person looked up and down the hallway they were in before picking Lance up with no warning and throwing him over their shoulder.

"Whoa! Hey!" Lance shouted, caught by surprise (Literally). The person started off down the hall again and Lance saw more cells being opened and more people dressed similarly spilling out of them with prisoners following behind.

"Is this a prison break or something?" Lance asked out loud. If this _was_ a prison break then he had to make sure that Keith got out too. "Are you listening to me? Someone else got captured at the same time as me. He needs your help too! We have to-"

"Everyone is being evacuated. Don't worry, okay?" His savior cut him off.

"But how will I know if he's safe?" Lance asked, hitting his fist against the stranger's back as emphasis. The stranger jostled him in protest making him let out an embarrassing sound of surprise.

"You won't but you can't even run so there is nothing you can do."

Lance huffed, knowing the stranger was right. Then he suddenly remembered something.

"My Bayard! I need my Bayard and my armor!" He began fighting in the stranger's hold.

"There is no time." They grunted, holding the back of Lance's legs tighter.

"Make time," Lance said, leaving no room for argument. When the stranger didn't respond he began fighting harder to break free.

"Stop or I will drop you!" They threatened with a growl.

"That's the point you fork!" As soon as the words left Lance's mouth his savior was dodging into the cover of a nearby room as a slew of laser bullets whizzed past them. The person put Lance down and pushed a stack of metal crates in front of the doorway with surprising strength.

Crates.

Lance looked around and couldn't believe his luck.

They were in a storage room. He glanced around for only a moment before noticing the weapons rack at the end of the room. He limp-walked over as quickly as he could while the stranger guarded the entrance.

Fate must have finally cut him a break because his Bayard was hanging up and his armor was left in a pile against the wall not far away.

He immediately started putting it on as quickly as he could, trying not to agitate the carvings or the various other wounds all over his body.

"What are you doing?!" The stranger said loudly to be heard over the sound of laser fire.

"I'm hurrying, shush!" Lance retorted, yanking on his boots.

He had his armor on in 40 seconds flat, but the stranger was already having to fight off the sentries that had gotten in during that time. They used a sword and fought in a style that Lance recognized but couldn't place…

"Can we go or not?" His savior asked curtly when his sliced through the last sentry. Lance snapped out of his stupor and grabbed his Bayard. As he was turning away a different weapon caught his attention.

It was Keith's Blade, short in its dagger form.

He snatched it up and pushed it into the front part of the belt of his armor. It dug almost painfully into his hip but he ignored it in favor of hurrying back to the stranger who was waiting for him. He sighed only once before the stranger was throwing him back over their shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The stranger paused.

"Umm… Is that a knife or are you-"

"My god, it's a knife!" Lance cut the stranger off, his face heating up.

"…Okay?"

"Just go!" The stranger did just that, peeking their head around the corner before heading down a hallway that looked like every other hallway. Lance didn't see any more of the strangely dressed space pirate people or the freed prisoners, but he assumed they had already gotten to where they were going.

The hand that was holding onto Lance's legs suddenly moved until a staticy sound could be heard.

"Chorrol! Chorrol come in!" a faraway male voice called out. The stranger must be using a communicator.

"I'm here! Got trapped by some sentries but I'm on my way now, don't leave without me. I've got the paladin with me."

"You know I wouldn't leave without you but I can't hold off an entire ship forever. Get here. Over and out."

"Over and out." The static sound left with the sound of who ever they had spoken to.

"How do you know I'm a paladin?" Lance asked, suddenly suspicious.

"You don't know do you?" The stranger's- Chorrol's voice was suddenly cold.

"Know what?" Lance almost didn't want to know the answer.

"Haggar sent out a video message as far as she could to every single ship she could get. There was a camera in your cell and it showed you being tortured. She sent out a demand for the lions or she would kill you- Frak!" Chorrol narrowly avoided a barrage of laser fire before stepping back behind the corner. "How am I gonna get past this while carrying you?" He asked more to himself than to Lance.

"Lemme see them!" Lance said suddenly. He willed his Bayard to transform into his blaster.

"What?"

"Run to the other side as fast as you can and I'll shoot them." Lance couldn't see Chorrol's face, (he was wearing a mask and Lance was literally being held over his shoulder) but he could sense his unease. "Trust me, it's the best option."

Chorrol hesitated for a moment before he made up his mind and was moving before Lance had realized that he was actually going to go it.

In a brief moment of panic he raised his Bayard and shot at the first thing around the corner. Bullets flew past him but Chorrol was moving fast enough that none of the sentries could actually land a shot.

Lance aimed and shot the four sentries down in seconds. He probably would have been able to do it faster too if his eye wasn't still swollen from earlier but he would take what he could get.

"Chorrol!" A feminine voice shouted.

Chorrol twisted around quickly, making Lance's head spin.

"Ziana? What-"

"Come on, hurry up!" Ziana cut him off. Chorrol let out a huff but was moving towards her nonetheless.

"Who is Ziana?" Lance asked over his shoulder.

"Old friend." Chorrol answered shortly. Lance just sighed and propped is elbow against Chorrol's back so he could rest his head on his hand.

It was when he did that that he noticed something from the corner of his eye. It looked like a shadow, but it was moving towards them rapidly.

His stomach dropped and he raised his Bayard, shooting at the nightmare chasing him.

"Who's behind us!?" Chorrol shouted. He wisely didn't turn around- it would risk messing up Lance's shot.

"A druid. I hope we're close!" Lance answered, still shooting. Chorrol let out an unfamiliar word that Lance assumed was a curse.

No matter how many time he fired the druid somehow managed to dodge all of his shots. All he was doing at this point was slowing them down.

Chorrol took a sharp left and suddenly all Lance could hear was shouting and Laser fire. Chorrol didn't stop moving though, he sprinted straight through the thick of things, dodging lasers and swords and all the other weapons flying about the room. Lance tried to find the Druid again but he lost sight of it.

"The druid disappeared!" Lance shouted loud enough for Chorrol to hear.

"Frak!" Chorrol shouted and suddenly the two of them were flying backwards.

Found the druid.

Chorrol somehow managed to push Lance off of him so that he didn't land on top of him, but Lance still hit the floor hard and he was extremely grateful that he had put his armor on. As soon as he was able to he had raised his Bayard and was ready to shoot, but Chorrol was already standing in front of him defensively.

"Get up!" He didn't have to tell him twice. Lance was on standing on shaky legs in moments, putting his back to Chorrol as he scanned the battle field before him for the druid.

"We have to get out of here!" Lance said as he pushed back towards what he assumed was the space pirate rebel's ship.

Chorrol pulled at the back of his arm and they were hurrying towards the ship. Lance saw the druid phase into existence two meters away and shot ceaselessly at them, not giving them a chance to retaliate. It tried to dodge and move but it couldn't get away from all of his shots. One bullet hit them hard in their shoulder and it phased out of Lance's sight.

Lance looked for Chorrol and found him not far off, slicing down a Galra soldier and helping up one of his allies.

A quick glance around the rest of the battle field showed wounded everywhere, but the Galra who fell were quickly replaced with more soldiers and sentries as if there was a never-ending supply of them.

The rebels were losing.

"Get back!" A voice shouted and all of the rebels began to retreat, the strong creating a front line while others grabbed their wounded and helped them back to the ship. They had no choice but to leave the dead.

Chorrol grabbed Lance's arm and pulled him away.

They ran up the ramp to the carrier ship, joining a slew of other prisoners and rebels.

"Stay here." Chorrol demanded as he turned back to go help the others. Lance didn't argue, but he did limp closer to the opening of the ship so that he could aim his Bayard at the on coming Galra. His wished momentarily that his Bayard had a scope so that he could see farther and as if it read his mind it changed into a sniper rifle.

"Sweet." Lance whispered under his breath as he began picking off any Galra who got too close to the rebels that were dragging back their wounded.

Almost everyone had gotten back. The rescued prisoners helped pull the wounded on board and the fighters who were holding off the Galra began retreating with the others.

Lance picked off a few more sentry bots before pulling back into the ship with the others. He wasted no time approaching the prisoners. He had to find Keith.

"Have you seen a male Galra?" He asked one of the aliens. They sneered at the word Galra and refused to answer him so he moved on.

He could feel the ship lifting off of the ground, preparing to take off as enemy fire rocked it this way and that. He had to make sure that Keith was on this ship before it left. He couldn't let him be left behind.

"Keith!" Lance shouted into the crowd. He got no response so he moved on to another large group, bracing himself against one of the walls of the ship as it canted sharply to the right. "Keith!"

He pushed on, towards the back of the loading bay where everyone was standing, holding on to various supports and walls and railings to keep from toppling over.

He saw a figure slouched against a wall on the opposite side of the loading bay. They had ebony hair covering their face and dark purple ears that hung low on their head.

Keith.

Lance hurried towards him as quickly as he could, shouting his name to try and get his attention. Keith didn't look up until Lance was crouching by his side and shaking his shoulder.

"Keith, wake up! Are you alright?" When Lance grabbed his shoulder it felt sharp and boney. "Keith?"

Keith's eyes finally fluttered open, dark purple bruising around his eyes made them look sunken and small. Lance felt his breath catch in his throat. Keith's gaze was unfocused and he seemed to be looking at something over his shoulder.

"Lance?" His voice was weak and raspy, like he hadn't had anything to drink in days. He probably hadn't.

"I'm here Keith." Another tremor was sent throughout the ship. Directly after the first one another hit, Lance braced himself by grabbing a railing above him and he grabbed Keith's hand and forced his clawed fingers around the bar as well.

They must have finally gotten out into space.

"Don't worry Keith, as soon as we're safe I'll make sure you're taken care of. Water, food, medical attention; everything." Keith closed his eyes again, as if just keeping them open was too much. His hand fell from the railing and landed by his side.

Lance took a closer look at him and saw a slew of wounds all over him. They must have tortured him more after they were separated.

On Keith's right hand he was missing three claws, as if they had been torn off. Not only that- there were several angry red lines caused by druid magic painted across his body. His suit was torn, deep cuts and swollen skin poking out of the tears. Lance could see the definition of his bones through his skin and he knew that he hadn't eaten since they got into that hell hole.

He didn't even know how long that had been.

The ship seemed to have stabilized so Lance sat down more comfortably beside Keith and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He was freezing. He ran his fingers through his hair and told him that everything was going to be alright, that he was here now.

Keith curled up weakly against Lance's side and drifted off. Lance held him close while he slept.

* * *

 **Whew what a ride! you can come yell at me on tumblr if you want (renncandraw) I even have some art for this story on there.**


	24. Chapter 24

Keith was woken up by a gentle shaking of his shoulder. He didn't want to open his eyes, afraid to wake up from his dream of finally being safe and warm in Lance's arms.

He didn't want to go back to Haggar's torture.

She had sent a ship to the false coordinates that he had given and when the ship reported back that there was only empty space she became furious- and took that fury out on him. He refused to tell her the truth. He refused to out the Blade and be the reason for thousands of deaths.

She refused to give up.

It was around the time that they started to rip off his claws that he let the idea of revealing another fake coordinate play in his head. However, before he could reveal more dead space a soldier came in and whispered something into Haggar's ear. Haggar immediately left, her druids following behind her.

The initial relief that washed through him quickly became over powered by a growing sense of unease. It wasn't coming from him. It was like it was flowing from an outside source.

Keith knew exactly where it was coming from, but he refused to accept the truth of the matter. Instead he pushed as much calming reassurance as he could against the panic on the edge of his mind. This alone drained what little energy he had left and as soon as the panic calmed to a quiet confusion he let go of the feelings.

Then that strange alarm went off.

That was when Keith decided maybe he could finally get some rest, Haggar would stay away to deal with the alarm.

He was exhausted and hungry and wondered when his body would finally give up and just let him die.

Which would be okay.

His dads would be sad… He was sorry that he did this to them, but he had to.

Lance would live. Haggar wouldn't kill him, she had been bluffing. Voltron would come and save Lance.

He had done what he had too. He got to see Lance one last time and that was good enough for him, if he died he would be free of the torture.

The shaking on his shoulder stopped for a moment before Lance's voice came to him.

"Keith," His voice was quiet, like he didn't _really_ want to wake him. He kept talking anyway. "Keith wake up, you need to drink this."

Keith finally opened his eyes, slowly and only a little bit. Lance's bright eyes filled his vision. They weren't the lovely blue that he had gotten used to and he wondered for a moment why that was before he realized that Lance was sitting right in front of him and that he wasn't chained up in a cell.

He was free.

"Lance?" Keith's voice cracked and his throat was horribly dry. Lance smiled weakly when Keith said his name before he held out a cup to him.

"Hey there."

Keith pushed the cup to the side so that he could reach out a hand and poke Lance's shoulder. His finger didn't go through, it bent and slid against the smooth fabric of his suit. He touched the blanket around Lance's shoulders too and found that it was also real.

This wasn't a dream.

"Lance." Keith voice cracked again, his bottom lip wobbling, and he put his arms around Lance, still careful to avoid the carvings that he knew were there. He pulled him tight, afraid that he would wake up if he let go. Faintly he heard Lance put the cup down on the floor before warm arms were encircling his back.

"I'm here. Do you remember what happened?" Keith shook his head 'no' into Lance's shoulder.

"A group of rebels came and got us out. We are safe now. You're okay." Lance spoke softly, as if trying to calm a dangerous animal.

Keith took a deep breath, the air tickling the back of his dry throat. His stomach gurgled, reminding him of how hungry he was.

He squeezed Lance just a little tighter one last time before letting him go. Lance released him and offered him the drink again. When Keith grabbed it Lance didn't let go.

"Slowly," he said sternly, referring to the drink. Keith nodded once and Lance let it go. As soon as he took a sip the urge to drink it as fast as possible became intense, but one look at Lance curbed the urge.

Slowly.

"They have a few medics coming around and they brought us some food." Lance said once Keith had finished. He gave Keith another cup which he eagerly downed. When he was done he took a moment to finally look around the room they were in. It looked like one big cargo bay but prisoners were scattered all around in small groups.

There were a few people walking about the masses. They had small kits by their sides and were bandaging quite a few of the others. He looked away.

Keith and Lance were in a secluded corner against a wall. Keith's back was to the wall, his legs sprawled out in front of him. Lance had his back turned to the rest of the room. He was facing Keith, letting his left leg lean against Keith's.

Beside Keith was a tray piled with food, beside the tray was a pile of white and blue armor. As Keith grabbed the tray he glanced up to Lance who was looking at him lazily.

"Did they get your armor for you too?" He asked. Lance smiled and shook his head.

"That's quite a story actually. I got my armor _and_ your knife," Lance started, pulling Keith's blade from somewhere behind him. Keith took it with a quiet 'thanks' before Lance was continuing. "I actually never would have gotten our stuff if it wasn't for Ch-"

"Keith?" A woman's voice cut Lance off, drawing the two's attention to the speaker. Keith's eyes widened and he immediately tried to stand. The woman held out her hands in a motion that meant 'don't get up.'

"Z?" Keith said instead. The woman smiled and nodded. "How did you get here?"

"I told you my brother was a part of the rebel group, didn't I?" She said it with a smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Keith noticed.

"I'm okay," he said, giving her a weak grin. "Just gotta eat." Keith emphasized his point by taking a bite of some of the food on the tray that was still on his lap.

"Good." Z was standing a few feet back, pulling nervously at her braid. "Do you mind if I sit?" Keith nodded and Z took her seat beside Keith. There was a moment of silence that Keith ignored in favor of scarfing down the food on his tray. It was only after he had finished (which didn't take very long) that he realized he should probably introduce Lance and Z.

"Um, Z, this is Lance." Keith said, grabbing her attention as he pushed the tray to the floor by his feet. She gave him a smile and held out her hand, palm up, in a blade greeting. "Hi Lance, I'm Ziana. But everyone calls me Z." Lance gave her a confused look and Z realized he didn't know how to complete the greeting.

"Oh ha, never mind-" She started to pull back her hand but Lance cut her off saying,

"No, no. Show me." He gave a smile and held out his hand like she had. She looked up at him once before placing her hand in his palm up.

"So, that's how we greet people in the blade…" Z trialed off, unsure of how to continue. Lance smirked and Keith knew that he had just thought of something mischievous.

He turned her hand over and brought the back of her hand to his lips and gave it a small, gentle, kiss. Z's face heated up but she didn't move.

"That's how we greet beautiful women back on earth," Lance smiled and winked at her. _Winked!_

Keith felt himself holding back a warning growl. How dare he flirt with Z right in front of him. How-

"That's a strange greeting." Z mumbled as she pulled her hand back, pulling Keith from his thoughts. "What species inhabits earth?"

"Oh, that would be Humans." Lance said, leaning back on his hands comfortably.

"And Human mates do not mind such a flirtatious greeting to all women? Do you have Kalan's? I would not think your Kalan would like such greetings." Z's brows were furrowed and she seemed genuinely confused.

"Well I don't know what a Kalan is but only single humans who don't have a… mate, would do that… What _is_ a Kalan?" Lance cocked his head to the side as he waited for an answer. Z glanced at Keith for a moment, lost on how to answer, before turning back to Lance.

"Um… it is hard to explain. You have mates, which most people- well I guess in this case I'm speaking specifically of Galra- would have. These are the people that you have children and grow old with. Galra always mate for life. But a Kalan is… Well it's like a true mate. Few Galra ever find their Kalan and will settle with someone that they love but Kalan's are special. They are connected on a different level than mates."

"My fathers are actually Kalan's." Keith piped up quietly. Lance shook his head, scratching the side of his jaw as he thought.

"Humans don't really have that sort of thing. We usually just find someone and hope we fall in love. And if that doesn't work out we break up and move on." Lance gave a sigh and let a fake smile grace his face.

If Humans didn't have Kalans then would Lance not see Keith as…

Oh.

"Hold on a sec." Lance pushed himself forward, suddenly sounding serious. "You said your name was Ziana?"

"Yes?" Z seemed confused.

"Oh! I heard you earlier when we were getting off the ship. You aren't a rebel, are you?"

"No, I'm a Blade like Keith. I was actually the one that flew Keith to the ship."

"Oh, so you're a pilot! So am I. I was at the top of my class." Lance gave a cocky grin and waggled his eyebrows at Z, to which she rolled her eyes.

Keith wanted so badly to shout at Lance for flirting with her. His heart was pounding and his lips were turning down into a heavy frown and despite his best efforts he could feel his fur standing on end, making him seem larger.

Z was the first to notice. She gave him a puzzled look and let her eyes dart from Lance back to him. Her eyes widened as she finally understood. However, her lips twisted into a troublesome grin instead of the look of surprise that Keith had been expecting.

"Okay, I just needed to make sure you were alright Keith. I only managed to assemble an entire rebel prison break for you and your paladin friend. No need to thank me," she said sarcastically as she began to stand.

"Z?"

"No, no, I'll leave you to it. I've got a ship that needs repair and an old friend to catch up with anyway." She said over her shoulder with a smile.

"Old friend? You mean Chorrol?" Lance asked with a pout.

Everything was silent.

Keith's world came crashing down. How did Lance know that name? Suddenly Keith's ears were raised to attention and his eyes were opened frightfully wide as he said in a weak voice, "What did you just say?"

"Chorrol, the guy that carried me out of the prison." Lance said quickly to Keith before he directed his next words to Z. "He said you guys were old friends so I assume you're talking about him?"

Z had stopped walking. Her gaze darted over to Keith's as if she had just been caught in the middle of a crime. In a soft voice she said, "Yeah, that's him."

"Ah, I never had a chance then did I." Lance whined to himself but Keith wasn't paying attention to him anymore. He was pushing himself off of the ground immediately, forcing his wobbly legs to hold his weight.

"Whoa hey! Keith what are you doing?" Lance tugged on his arm but Keith yanked it out of his grasp.

"Take me to him right now." Keith said to Z, supporting himself against the wall. His tone left no room for argument and he saw Z swallow nervously.

"I don't know if that's a good-"

A loud growl cut her off as Keith's ears folded back aggressively and the hand that wasn't missing claws curled into a fist.

"Keith?" Lance asked, seeming unsure of what to do. Keith ignored him.

"Z, I swear to you if you don't take me to Chorrol right now we are going to have a _serious_ problem."

Z bit her lip and looked up to the ceiling. "Fine." She whispered. "Let's go."

Keith wasted no time in following her, holding onto the railing against the wall to support his weak body.

"Keith?" Lance called after him. Keith spare a quick glance over his shoulder.

Lance was limping after him, avoiding putting weight on his wounded leg. "I'll be back, stay here Lance." Keith told him. He hadn't been expecting the hurt expression that passed over Lance's face but he couldn't let it faze him. He had to go. "It won't be long I promise." He said in a softer voice this time.

Lance gave him a hesitant nod and lowered himself back towards the ground by his armor. He was looking around the room full of strangers with an out-of-place stare.

That was when Keith suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of abandonment and unease. It hurt, squeezing at his heart with a strong anxiety that he had never experienced before.

"Lance," he called out to get his attention. When Lance looked at him he sent out a feeling of security as and said, "I promise, and I'll explain everything, okay?"

"Okay," he said quietly, still not quite sure if he believed him. Keith couldn't spend anymore time hovering back though, Z was already much further ahead.

He turned back and walked as fast as his malnourished body could handle. "Z!" He called when he had caught up with her. He was breathing heavily and his legs were burning.

"How long was I in there?"

"Six quintants and 20 vargas."

That long with out food or water plus continuous torture didn't bode well for his body. Not to mention the shifting between forms for Lance and the empathy bond that he had been keeping up. No wonder he was having so much trouble even walking. Though, the food and water from earlier would definitely help.

"Z. When we were in your ship before the mission… What were you going to say?" Keith asked. Z sighed.

"My family used to be friends with Chorrol's family. He and my brother were childhood friends and they would sometimes let me tag along with them when they went exploring. My brother and I were talking the night before you and I left for the Galra ship. I mentioned your name and how we had met and he told me how Chorrol had mentioned a guy named Keith once. I was going to ask you if you knew Chorrol was here, with the rebels."

Keith didn't know how to feel right now. It was like all of the things he had forced himself to go numb to over the last year were coming back with a vengeance. He had finally accepted Chorrol's death and now he was being told that he's been alive all this time and never seeked Keith out.

He almost didn't believe Z. Maybe this was just another person named Chorrol. It wasn't impossible after all.

They passed through a few more corridors before Z stopped before a door on the right side of an out of the way hall.

Z knocked vigorously on the door and waited a moment. When she didn't get a response in the first few ticks she began pounding again, louder this time.

"Chorrol, get off your lazy ass and open the door!" She shouted. There were a few more ticks of nothing and then a muffled voice called out.

"Ziana? Is that you?" Keith felt his insides grow cold. That was Chorrol's voice.

"Yeah, and you better be decent when you open the door or I'm gonna kick your ass." There was a loud crash from inside but no one opened the door. Z crossed her arms and begin clicking her claws together. Something Chorrol also did when he was impatient or nervous.

Keith suddenly felt sick. What if wasn't Chorrol and he just had to stand there awkwardly and explain to Z that it had been a misunderstanding.

What if it _was_ Chorrol?

The sound of the door unlocking drew Keith's attention back to the present. When it finally slid back Keith's breath caught in his throat.

Standing before him was Chorrol. But this Chorrol was different. It _was_ Chorrol, but this one was a little taller and he had scars on his face (Three going from his right side lower jaw up to his hair line and one small one on the left side of his face that cut through his eye brow) and shoulders (These scars were shaped like mini explosions and it looked like there might be more on his back) and the tip of his right ear looked like it had been clipped off. It looked like he had gone through hell and survived.

"What do you want Z?" He asked in a tired voice, one hand on the door as if to shut it quickly if necessary.

"Thank you for putting clothes on you heathen." She answered as she looked him up and down, scrutinizing his loose blue t-shirt and baggy pants. He rolled his eyes (Well, the Galra equivalent) and in doing so noticed Keith.

"Who do we have h-" His words caught in his mouth and his body tensed.

Keith was already in tears. He took a hesitant step closer, having to tilt his head up slightly to look at Chorrol.

"Keith?" Chorrol said breathily, barely at the volume of a whisper.

Slowly, ever-so-slowly, he took another step closer and wrapped his arms around Chorrol's waist and laid his head on his chest to listen to his heart beat. His hug was returned without hesitation and Keith heard Chorrol's familiar ugly sobs that he had missed so desperately.

"I-I thought you were d-dead…" Keith cried into his chest. Chorrol hugged him tighter.

"I know… I'm so-" a violent sob stalled his words for a moment. "Sorry."

Keith wanted to hit him. To pound his fists against his chest and shout at him and make him hurt the way that Keith had been hurting. But he was tired and in some sick part of his mind he knew that he still cared about Chorrol more than he cared about himself so he settled on squeezing his arms around him tighter.

"Why didn't you," hiccup, "come back to the Blade. Why didn't you t-try to find me?" There was a much louder sob from Chorrol.

"I couldn't…" His voice was soft and he trialed off. Keith released his vise like grip so that he could look Chorrol in the eye. "Aubr."

That one name sent an acute pain through his heart but he pushed it away. "What about her?" He couldn't help hoping that if Chorrol had made it that maybe Aubr had too. Maybe it was just one huge prank on him and they were actually alive.

"Aubr… She didn't make it. I couldn't save her. She got left behind under that rubble and she died alone with the Galra soldiers that killed her. I couldn't save her. I couldn't face you. She was so scared. I should have saved her. I should have died with her but the explosion sent me into space and my suit activated and the rebels saved me and-" Chorrol was trembling and he sobbed loudly when his voice finally gave out and he hung his head in shame.

"At first when I woke up I didn't remember what happened. It took me an entire movement to figure out what my mission even was. After that… I couldn't face you because I couldn't even save Aubr. I didn't want to have to see your face when I told you I couldn't protect our best friend. I couldn't stand to go back to the blade and see her name in the stones or have to tell her family that I failed." Chorrol wiped violently at his eyes as he tried to stop the tears.

"Dammit Chorrol." Keith's voice cracked as he gently shoved his shoulder. "That's not fair. You're just as important as she was. We were a team and I thought that I lost both of you. I thought that I had to watch you both die while I was stuck alone in that pod in the silence. I relived your deaths over and over for vargas in there. All I wanted was to see your faces again. And… and…" Keith's lip wobbled and he gently slammed his fist against Chorrol's chest. "Dammit." He said in a whisper. He let his head fall against Chorrol's chest again.

"You weren't this tall before." Keith said quietly. Chorrol laughed through his sobs, sniffing.

"Growth spurt man. I'm not a runt anymore, just a late bloomer."

"No fair. Now I'm the only one who can't reach the top shelf." Chorrol gave a laugh at that.

"Are you guys done yet?" Z's voice broke their moment. Keith turned, Chorrol letting go of him so he could do so, and saw Z walking down the hall towards them, a drink in her hand. She must have left to give them a moment.

"Whatever Ziana." Chorrol said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why won't you just call me Z like everyone else in the entire universe?!" She threw her hands up (Somehow, she didn't spill any of her drink in the process)

Chorrol smirked but didn't answer her.

"Better hurry up Keith, lover boy is still waiting for you, in case you forgot." Z said as she took a sip of her drink. Keith frowned at her but didn't get to respond because Chorrol beat him too it.

"Loverboy?"

"Turns out he and the paladin were captured together. And he's quite flirtatious."

"Keith, you were…" Chorrol turned to Keith and gave him a good look, as if he was finally noticing what rough shape he was in. He opened his mouth, about to say something but Keith shook his head. He was in a good mood. He didn't want to think about anything that had happened on that ship.

"Keith," Z barked, pulling him from his own head space. "Chorrol was the one to carry Lance out of the prison. That's how Lance knew Chorrol's name."

"You carried Lance out?"

"Yeah, that dude's crazy." Chorrol said, nodding his head. Keith smiled and looked down at his feet.

"Ha, yeah."

"Ohhhh." Chorrol said in a drawn-out breath. "I get it."

"Get what?" Keith asked as he looked back up.

"You like him. I didn't realize that you liked guys!" Chorrol's voice was clear and excited, as if he had just discovered something life changing.

Keith couldn't resist face palming. "Yeah, I _know_ that you didn't know that I liked guys." Z laughed and Chorrol looked confused.

"So, are you guys together?" Chorrol asked. Keith looked away so Z answered for him.

"They aren't. He's human and humans don't have Kalans."

"Wait, he's your Kalan?!" Chorrol asked in a shocked voice. Keith's face heated up and he turned away. "Keith, you have to tell him! What are you waiting for?" Chorrol grabbed his shoulder and shook it, jostling Keith.

"I can't tell him. Like Z said, humans don't have Kalans-"

"But you're half human and you have a Kalan!" Keith's eyes shot over to Z after Chorrol's outburst. When he looked back pointedly at Chorrol the man had guiltily shut his mouth and glanced at Z as well. "You didn't tell her, did you?" He asked quietly. Keith sighed and shook his head.

"It's okay. I trust her."

"I don't care what you are, you're still my friend." Z answered. Keith let out a small breath of relief.

"Thanks Z." He took a moment to collect himself and crossed one arm over the other self-consciously. "Plus. He probably doesn't even like males. He flirted with Z plenty, but he never flirted with me or any other… you know."

"Well, how did you meet him? Maybe he just hadn't had the chance to flirt." Chorrol said. Keith spared him a single glance before a wide grin found his face and he was laughing out loud.

Chorrol didn't know how to handle this reaction. His hands hovered close to Keith and his mouth was open as if he wanted to say something but didn't know _what_ to say.

"We met," pause for laughing, "We met in a Galra battle cruiser and I saved his clag and then- Then he and his team, Voltron, knocked me out and took me back to their ship where I was their prisoner." When he put it that way it seemed absolutely ridiculous.

"What?!" Chorrol's eyebrows were drawn together in concern. "You're Kalan is your captor? Keith-"

Keith cut him off, "It's not like that. They let me out after a few days and I helped them out when I could and they became-" He paused, finally finished laughing, and looked up at Chorrol. The look in his eyes was one of pain and relief simultaneously. "They became the first people I could be friends with since you and Aubr."

Chorrol's face dropped and he looked to the floor. "I'm sorry Keith." He whispered. Keith put an arm around his waist and pulled him close.

"It's okay Chorrol, you're back now. If I hadn't been captured by Voltron I probably never would have found you again."

"Or your Kalan." Chorrol added.

"My Kalan who flirts with women and doesn't see me as a mate." Keith shot back. Chorrol looked down at him and gave him a toothy smile, his scars pulling at his skin.

"Not yet he doesn't."

Keith gulped.

…

Chorrol offered some of his clothes to Keith to wear so that he would be able to change out of his tattered and torn under suit. He graciously agreed (The suit hugged all the wrong places and after a while was a pain in and of itself) but he asked if he could get another set for Lance. He shrugged and pulled out second shirt and a pair of shorts.

Chorrol told him that they could keep the clothes because they didn't fit him anymore as he had grown out of them. Keith knew that they would still be too big for him and Lance.

Together the three of them made their way back to the gathering area of all of the freed prisoners. Keith was feeling drained but relieved. He felt as if he was slowly getting more energy as the food that he had eaten hit his stomach and the chance encounter with Chorrol raised his spirits.

When they finally got back to Lance a medic had just arrived to help him with his wounds.

When Lance saw him his tense body language relaxed and his lips, which had been set in a firm line, curled up.

"About time. The medics are here," he gestured to the short statured rebel medic as if Keith couldn't see them. He looked Keith up and down. "Nice clothes."

"Chorrol gave me another set for you," Keith said, handing the clothes over and noticing the medics small sigh of relief.

"You're welcome," Chorrol piped up behind Keith, drawing Lance's attention.

"So, you're Chorrol. I didn't realize you were Galra." Lance commented, taking the clothes from Keith while he spoke. He glanced around for somewhere to change.

There was a small nook not far off so he moved over there.

"Is that a problem?" Chorrol asked, referring to his heritage.

"Keith, can you hold up that blanket?" Lance pointed to the blanket he had been using that was now balled up on the floor. When Keith grabbed it and held it up Lance backed into the small nook and he was covered from everyone's line of sight. "I don't have a problem with Galra, Keith is Galra after all. I only have problems with Zarkon and his asshole soldiers."

"Fair enough."

"Shit-" There was a thump against the wall and Keith assumed that Lance had stumbled and fallen.

"You all good in there?" Keith asked sarcastically. His arms were starting to burn from holding up the blanket so high.

"Fine…" Lance muttered. "Do you not have any smaller clothes Chorrol?"

"Do you not have a larger body, Lance?" Chorrol mocked. Keith shot him a look that said 'I thought you were supposed to be helping me,' and Chorrol simply shrugged it off. Keith's arms had started shaking and he was about to ask Z to come and hold the blanket up when Lance finally said he was done. Keith dropped the blanket unceremoniously.

When he saw Lance again something had changed. He was smiling but it was dull and his eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"Lance-" Lance cut Keith off with one look. He moved directly beside Keith and whispered in his ear quietly enough that the others wouldn't be able to hear.

"The c-carvings will scar… won't they?" Lance could hardly say the word. Keith nodded hesitantly and Lance forced out a calm breath. He discreetly wiped at his eyes and stepped back.

The drawstrings in the pants that Lance were wearing were pulled far enough that they went down to his knees and the shirt he had on was so long it covered almost all of his thighs. Keith didn't look much better off, but because he was in his Galra form he was about 7 centimeters taller than Lance and filled out the clothes a bit better.

"Are you ready sir?" The medic asked. Lance nodded and limp-walked over towards the young looking alien. He pulled up his pant leg so that they could see the knife wound. Keith expected it to be a bloody mess of clotting and swelling but he hadn't expected the bright angry lines that indicated druid magic had been used to cauterize the wound and stop the bleeding.

"Keith, Z and I are gonna grab some food. We'll be right back." Chorrol told him quietly. Keith only nodded numbly.

"Once I get back to Voltron they will be able to fix this better," Lance said when he noticed the medic's four eyes widen. The medic looked up and seemed at a loss. "If you could just bandage it that would be great."

And so they did. They wrapped his thigh in a pale green bandage that was supposed to sooth any pain he may have had. Once that was finished they asked if he had any other wounds he needed help with and he gestured to the bruising on his face and around his eye. The medic gave him a small bubble-like object to press against his face that immediately reduced the swelling. The medic asked him once again if that was all he needed and Lance nodded his head.

Keith narrowed his eyes at him and Lance met his gaze head on. "La-"

"Don't even bother Keith. It's not happening," Lance warned stubbornly. Keith sighed but didn't say anything more. He had a plan.

"Do you need medical assistance sir?" The medic asked as they turned to Keith. The question was more of a courtesy than an actual question but Keith still nodded.

By the time the medic was finishing with Keith's wounds he was beginning to wonder where Chorrol and Z had gotten off too. They had been gone a while.

Before the medic could leave Keith asked them for a roll of bandages. The medic was reluctant at first but when Keith cut his eyes over to Lance and asked again they seemed to have gotten the message. They had seen the carvings before Lance had changed into the long sleeve shirt he had now and they knew that he needed to take care of the wounds. In the end they handed over a roll and left them to their own business.

"What was all that about Mr. Shady?" Lance asked jokingly, trying to keep the mood light for both of their sakes after just reliving all of the pain it was of seeing all of their wounds.

"Take your shirt off." Keith said without patience.

"Whoa, a little forward there don't you think?" Lance teased.

"Lance. If you won't let the medic see them and fix them at least let me-"

"Keith, you don't understand," Lance's voice lost all of its mirth and he was crossing his arms over his chest defensively. "That _witch_ carved my deepest insecurities into my skin and now I have to wear them forever. I can't…" Lance bit his lip and glared at the floor, reliving that moment.

"Is this about other people seeing the carvings or _you_ seeing them?" Keith asked coolly. Lance looked up at him as if he had just punching him in the gut.

"Excuse me?! How dare you! You know what happened. You were _there_ and you are going to attack me like-"

"That's right Lance! I was there! I know exactly what happened and exactly what she carved. There is no reason for you to be worried about what they say because they don't mean anything. They are lines in your skin and you are a wonderful person who didn't deserve to be tortured by her. I could easily add more lines and suddenly they mean completely different things. You can't let her win by letting these change how you live your life." Keith held Lance's face in his hands and leaned his forehead against Lance's. His ears were pointed back on his head and he subconsciously changed his eyes to be human so that he could see the gorgeous brown hue of Lance's skin.

"Please let me help you." He whispered. It was silent for a moment before Lance nodded his head, moving Keith's as well.

"Okay," He whispered. Keith let go of his face, fingers tracing down his jaw before falling away, back towards the roll of bandages.

"If you sit in that nook again no one else will be able to see you." Keith said. Lance slid across the floor the short distance and took off his shirt as Keith sat beside him. The symbol for useless stood out in swollen bloody marks on his left shoulder.

"If you added a line here," Keith gently made a smooth swipe of his finger across the entire wound without ever touching it, "and here," He made a small downward motion below the wound. "Then this symbol would mean star light." Lance watched as Keith made pretend lines across his skin.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Let's see." Keith moved to Lance's other shoulder. Stupid stared back at him with thinner lines than useless. "If you made a deeper line here like this," He directed his finger from the left side of the wound to the middle and then turned it down sharply at a 90 degree angle. "Then it means 'to be gentle.'"

"That's nice." Lance whispered, as if he would speak to loudly and break the moment. Keith moved behind him.

Annoying was carved into his skin obscenely large and Keith was stumped on what he could do to change it for a moment.

"You can touch it…" Lance said quietly. Keith nodded before realizing Lance couldn't see him.

"Okay." Slowly and softly he dragged his bandaged, clawless finger down a curved mark in a slow and lazy line. Then he put his finger in the middle of the mark and spiraled it outwards. "If you were to add lines like these then this symbol could mean Raegela."

"What does that mean?"

"It is a form of strength that comes from your soul and your bonds with others. It is a very sought after characteristic."

Lance was quiet. Keith took that as his cue to start wrapping his wound. He started with his back, cutting of pieces at a time and placing them gently against Lance's skin where they stuck in place. At first Keith was having a bit of trouble with his bandaged fingers getting stuck to Lance's bandage but after a while he got the hang of it. He was almost done when Lance asked in a quiet voice, "When we get back to the castle of Lions will you carve those other lines into my skin before I get in the healing pod?

Keith paused for a moment, thinking carefully over his answer. "Are you sure you want me too?" Lance nodded his head vigorously.

"Allura and Coran have a numbing component and I won't feel a thing but… I don't want the others to see…" Keith could understand that.

"I'll do it if you still want me to by the time we get back." Lance nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Thank you, Keith. For everything." Lance turned so that he could look Keith in the eye. Keith smiled gently and averted his gaze.

"Anything for you." He said softly.

He had to force himself not to push his feelings towards his Kalan. Lance was not a Galra, but Galra courting ways were all he knew. He didn't know how humans courted but he figured, once they got back to the castle ship he could ask one of the others how it was done.

There was a lull where neither of them spoke. It wasn't uncomfortable or forced it was just… quiet. Keith used the entire roll of bandages and Lance put his shirt back on. They came out of the nook, back to the spot where Lance left his armor.

"Where are they?" Keith asked himself as he looked around for Chorrol and Z.

"Keith," Lance caught his attention. "You said that you would explain who Chorrol was." Keith looked puzzled for a moment before he remembered what he had said as he had left with Z.

"Oh. Well…" Lance looked at him expectantly. Keith decided it would be easier to just spit everything out all at once and not stop long enough to think about it. "Chorrol and Aubr and I were all on a team together at the blade and they were my first friends because no one wanted to be friends with a halfling like me. We went on missions together and one of our missions went bad and Chorrol and Aubr got left behind with the Galra while Chorrol shoved me and the information that I had gotten into an escape pod." Keith pulled his legs up against his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees.

"Why didn't they come with you?" Lance asked innocently.

"Aubr got trapped under some falling debris-" Keith took a small breath to control his breathing. Now was no time to break down. He had done enough of that today. "So Chorrol stayed with her to try to fight off the armies by himself. I got shot out into space by myself and that was where I got to watch the entire impound explode all alone in the silence... I can't stand the silence now. It reminds me off that moment." Lance put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently in a reassuring manner.

"So that's why you were acting so crazy when you heard Chorrol's name?" Keith nodded his head.

"My best friend, who I thought was dead, has been here the whole time. He was afraid to face me or Aubr's parents or the blade. He said he had failed, but there had been nothing he could do anyways. The two of them had been courting so it had to have hit him really hard that she was dead. But I loved them both and their deaths almost ruined me." Lance rubbed his back.

"Will you-" He stopped what he was about to say, looking away from Lance so that he wouldn't see the darkening of his cheeks.

"Hmm?" Lance hummed, enticing him to go on.

"Will you… rub my ears?" Keith asked. In a Galra world only your mate or your blood would do such a thing, it was seen as a very loving gesture, but right at this moment there was nothing that Keith needed more than his Kalan- his soul bond- rubbing his ears.

He hadn't expected the strong warm fingers to start rubbing so quickly and he almost let out a whimper of surprise.

"Like this?" Lance asked with a smile in his voice. Keith's eyes had closed completely as he got lost in the feeling.

"Little softer." He said on a single breath, leaning into the touch of Lance's fingers. Lance moved his fingers slower and easier, moving from the base of his ears up.

"I've wanted to feel your ears ever since I saw them. They're so soft."

Keith's face began burning with an uncontrollable blush but he couldn't bring himself to care. There was a bit of shuffling and Keith cracked one eye open to see Lance move behind him. Another hand started to rub on his other ear and Keith shut his eye back and began to purr.

"Are you- oh my god you are!" Lance laughed.

"What are you laughing at?!" Keith bristled, cracking his eyes open again.

"You're purring."

"So? Can't I be happy?" This only made Lance laugh louder, his fingers stalling in their rubbing. Keith bat Lance's hands away and crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, wait." Lance chuckled, reaching out towards Keith's ears again. "I didn't mean it. I just thought it was funny." Keith swatted his hands away gently.

"Nope you lost your chance."

"Awe, come on!" Lance pouted. "Please?" He made a grabbing motion with his hand and Keith had to bite his lip to not laugh.

"Keith." Chorrol's voice called out. Keith turned his head and saw Chorrol and Z approaching. Neither of them had any food.

"What were you guys doing?" Keith asked.

"Starving." Chorrol answered with a frown. "They shut down the kitchens and Z and I spent like 20 dobashes trying to convince them to reopen."

"They didn't let you get anything?" Keith questioned.

"Well," Z cut in. "They did give us a pack of rations that we shared but they weren't too happy about giving it away."

"Oh well that's not _too_ bad."

"That's because you haven't tried their rations." Z laughed. Z and Chorrol sat down across from Lance and Keith, getting comfortable.

"So, what did you guys do while we were gone?" Chorrol asked.

"Keith told me how he knew you."

Chorrol nodded his head, not appearing particularly happy or sad about that knowledge.

"Oh, but I have a question. Do all Galra purr?" Keith felt his face heating up again as Z and Chorrol looked at each other.

"Sort of?" Z answered. "Most of the more mammal based subspecies do, but if a Galra is part of the reptilian subspecies like me, then they… Well its like a clicking sound."

"Oh cool."

"Do humans purr?" Chorrol asked. Lance furrowed his brows.

"No, that's more of a cat thing."

"Then what do you do to express your pleasure?"

"Humans will usually just say that they like something if it makes them happy. Maybe they'll hum?"

"Strange." Z commented.

"Humans are very odd." Chorrol added. Keith smiled. He had missed him. There was a lull in the conversation until Chorrol piped up.

"So, Lance, you were flirting with Z earlier…" Chorrol said with a wicked smile.

"Uh." Lance didn't seem to know how to respond. "Look, I didn't know that she was dating you-"

"What?!" Z shouted. Chorrol slapped a hand over her mouth, holding his other hand over his offended ear.

"A little loud don't you think?" Z pulled his hand from her mouth.

"We are _not_ courting." She said vehemently. Chorrol nodded in agreement.

"What I _meant_ was that since you were flirting with Z, does that mean that you like women?" Chorrol pushed on. Keith felt like hiding his face in his hands. Wait to be subtle Chorrol.

"Um, ha, yeah women are pretty great…" Lance was confused and uneasy. He rolled the sleeve of his shirt between his fingers.

"Do you also like men?" As soon as the words left Chorrol's mouth Lance tensed and shut his mouth.

"Lance? Are you alright?" Keith asked softly, his hand hovering over his shoulder. Lance slowly released his shirt sleeve and folded his hands together, but he didn't look up to met any of the other's gaze.

"If I was back on earth I would tell you no. I would tell you that I only liked girls because if I didn't then people would discriminate against me and hate me. But," He looked up, first to Chorrol then to Z and finally stopping on Keith. "Now that I'm out here in space and I've encountered countless new species and people I can tell you honestly that I like both equally."

"Are you not allowed to love freely?" Z asked quietly. Lance shook his head.

"In some places you can be killed for loving the same gender. In others you are allowed to love who ever you want, but others will hate you for it." He sighed and rested his head on his hand. "Humans are strange…" Lance smiled. "Anyways, now you know me, how about you guys?" Lance asked.

"Oh, I only like women." Chorrol said.

"All genders are good for me." Z answered.

Keith mumbled quietly and Lance was unable to hear him. "What was that Keith?"

"I said that I only like males." Lance nodded his head and opened his mouth about to say something else when a new voice interrupted him.

"Paladin?" four sets of eyes turned to the man who had spoken. One set widened.

"Oh my god, Matt?"

* * *

 **Here it is guys, the comfort half of the hurt/comfort! I got this written insanely fast and its extra long.**

 **I didn't get the chance to add this in but Z is the one that carried Keith out and by that point Keith was a little out of it.**

 **The next chapter will hopefully have some more explanation about the rebels and how they got to the galra ship! TYSM for reading, I love you guys!**

 *****ALSO THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT*****

 **I might have a few more plot lines to this story and I was wondering if I made this into a series with different parts would you guys read it?**


	25. Chapter 25

"How do you know my name?" Matt squinted his eyes at Lance, scrutinizing him. "You're human?"

"Yes Matt! We came from the Galaxy Garrison! And we found Shiro!" Lance was standing and limping towards Matt now.

"Whoa, whoa Takashi is with Voltron?"

"Yeah and Pidge too! She's been looking for you." Lance grabbed Matt's shoulders and shook him in his excitement.

"Pidge? She's here?" Matt stared at Lance with shock.

"Yeah! She's the paladin of the green lion of Voltron and now we have all the lions and all we need is the red paladin and then-"

"I have the coolest little sister in the world." Matt wasn't paying much attention to Lance anymore as he mumbled to himself.

"Matt, she's going to be so excited to see you!" Matt finally turned his gaze towards Lance. He smiled.

"I'm excited to see her too." He sighed. "We'll have to wait until we can contact Voltron though. The Council wants to see you."

"Council?" Lance finally let go of Matt and took a step back. Keith and the others were standing not far off, watching the exchange with mixed reactions.

"Yes, I was sent here to 'fetch' you." Matt made air quotes around the word fetch.

Then suddenly, as if a switch had been flicked on, "Stop trying to make 'fetch' happen, oh my god." Lance said in a harsh voice as his face twisted in a snarl.

Keith was confused. What was wrong with the word fetch? Why was Lance so mad? He looked between the two of them with his eyebrows furrowed and his ears held back.

Matt's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth formed a small 'oh' before he was suddenly laughing loudly as he bent over his knees. Lance joined him, smiling and laughing happily.

It was nice seeing him smile like that after what they had been through, even if Keith had no clue what was happening. He glanced over at Chorrol to see if he understood what was happening but he looked just as confused as Keith.

"God, I missed earth jokes."

"How have you survived without them?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen a meme in over a year and sometimes it feels like I'm a druggie without his fix." Matt chuckled and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I can't wait to see Pidgey."

"She's gonna freak out." Matt nodded his head and swiped his hand in a motion that meant 'follow me'

Lance glanced back towards Keith with an expectant look and Keith quickly made his way to Lance's side. Z and Chorrol fell into step behind them.

"It's a good thing that your brother has such a strong influence on the rebels Z." Matt commented over his shoulder as he guided them through the twisting hallways. "I had asked the Council to execute a break on the ship as soon as the broadcast was sent out but they weren't having any of it."

"Yeah, Lynic can have that effect on people…" Z made a tsking sound in the back of her throat. "After I convinced him to talk to the Council he tried to make me stay out of 'harm's way.'" She chuckled. "I pretty much told him where he could stick his complaints. His strange mesmerizing, convincing ways don't run in the family, that's for sure."

"It's gotta be magic." Chorrol added. "Sometimes I won't even know what he wants but I'm already agreeing to whatever it is he could want."

Chorrol and Z continued talking about Z's brother, Matt occasionally chiming in with a short story. Soon enough Keith and Lance had changed places with Z and Chorrol and were trailing in the back of the group.

"I can't believe that Matt is here." Lance said quietly to Keith to keep their conversation somewhat private.

"It's a small universe." Lance smiled brightly at him.

"We have a saying like that back on earth, but we just say 'small world.'" Lance subconsciously pushed the sleeves of the shirt up to his elbows, pooling the fabric together. "What do you think the Council wants?"

"Probably just simple questions. How to get in contact with Voltron. Where Voltron is. If you all should form an alliance."

"That sounds really boring." Lance complained as he sighed forlornly. Keith rolled his eyes.

"Life can't always be action packed." Keith nudged him.

"Oh, I'm not saying it needs to be action packed. I'm just saying that if I could skip over this super boring political stuff and get straight to saving the universe and getting the girl- or boy- then I would totally go for it. Allura can handle all this dull, mundane crap for all I care." Lance shrugged.

Keith understood that. He was never one for politics either, but he would tolerate it if he had too.

"What do you…" Keith took a breath. He was no good with expressing his feelings, but he would have to start figuring it out sooner or later. There was no better time than the present after all… "What do humans look for in mates?"

Lance turned his head to look Keith in eyes. "Humans? Like in general? People like different things."

Don't be embarrassed. Don't blush. I swear- "Well then, what about you specifically?" A cheeky grin spread over Lance's face.

"Are you asking me what kind of Space partner I'm looking for? You got someone in mind, huh?" Lance teased, bumping Keith's shoulder gently and hiding a grimace when it made the marks on his shoulder flare in pain.

"…" Keith averted his eyes, staring at the back of Matt's head as he laughed at something that Z had said. Why can't Chorrol be paying enough attention to help me now? What a terrible wingman.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Lance let out in a sing song voice. He tapped his lip in thought. "I don't really know." This made Keith's mind come to a standstill.

"Don't… Know…" Keith's ears folded back and he unconsciously pouted his lips as he thought.

"Yeah." Lance rubbed at the back of his neck. "I figured I'd know when I met them."

Keith's heart sank with his gaze as he stared at his feet. Left, right, left, right. Don't get upset…

"But really, people of the universe are so diverse and interesting," He looked directly at Keith, trying to catch his eye, "and beautiful." He held his gaze for a silent second before Lance was back to watching Matt turn the corner. "I want someone who I'm going to be able to talk to and laugh with. I want them to be just as strong and smart as me so that we can help each other get stronger together. They'd have to be able to handle how talkative I can be… how insecure I can sometimes get." There was a soft light in Lance's eyes that Keith had never seen before.

"I guess what I'm saying is that I'm just looking for someone who will fall in love with me just as much as I will with them." Lance finished.

Love.

Curse the above. Why was Lance so cheesy?

"That's grossly romantic…" Keith said in a weak voice he hoped came off as teasing.

"Well I wouldn't have it any other way." Lance said with fake offense as he stuck his nose in the air. After a moment he smiled and broke character. "You and Chorrol both keep grilling me about my love life, what's with that, huh?"

Keith's eyes immediately widened. Stupid Lance not being clueless. It wasn't like Keith wanted to keep it a secret forever, but if Lance found out and rejected Keith… Well, mates who are rejected never live long after that.

He needed to ask the humans about human courting traditions ASAP.

"Wh- I don't- nu-uh." Keith stumbled over his words before finishing with, "We aren't grilling you… Just- making conversation…" Lance raised a knowing eyebrow. He opened his mouth to say something more but Matt cut in before he could.

"Alright Paladin… What's your name actually? I can't believe I forgot to ask," Matt asked, his back to a large door that Keith assumed would lead them to the Council.

"The names Lance," Lance grinned as he shot finger guns at Matt, who shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Alright Lance, the Council is through here. They only asked for Lance so you guys are gonna have to stay out here." Matt looked at Chorrol and Z and gave an apologetic look to Keith. "Not my rules. It shouldn't be too long. Follow me Lance." When Matt turned to go in the room Lance leaned closer to Keith.

"No fair, I'm the only one who has to do the boring political stuff." Keith just grinned and crossed his arms.

"You better go." He warned, the doors slowly closing behind Matt. Lance let out a little squeak and shimmed through the quickly closing gap sideways.

The doors would have opened back up for him. Keith laughed along with Z and Chorrol who had also been watching Lance.

Keith turned to his friends. He didn't speak, he just looked at them for a moment as he let everything sink in. He was safe off of the Galra ship with Chorrol and Z. Lance was going to talk with the council and form an alliance and once Lance got back to Voltron they could form an alliance with the Blade as well.

He wasn't going to dwell on the fact that he would probably have to go back to the Blade at some point and leave Voltron to their own devices.

For now, he would count his blessings and allow himself a momentary respite.

Keith wandered over to the nearest wall and slid down it until he was sitting on the floor, facing the door that Lance would come back from.

Chorrol watched him for a moment before he joined Keith with Z at his side. Keith glanced over at him. He leaned his head back against the wall, smiling gently with his eyes closed.

Only the Above knew how much he had missed Chorrol. Keith hesitated only a moment before leaning against Chorrol, resting his head on his shoulder and closing his eyes. He was still exhausted and he figured it would be a while before he was back in good health. As of right now, he just wanted to rest his eyes while he waited for Lance. Maybe sleep for a few minutes…

Chorrol pulled his arm out from under Keith's head and for a moment Keith was afraid that he had just made things awkward. Luckily, Chorrol was just adjusting so that he could wrap his arm around Keith's shoulders to allow him to rest his head more comfortably against him.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Keith said on a quiet breath, eyes still closed. Chorrol squeezed him just a bit tighter in response. They stayed like that for the half a Varga or so while Lance was talking to the council. Chorrol and Z spoke in soft voices and Keith drifted in and out of consciousness, never quite falling asleep but still unable to keep himself fully awake.

"Keith?" Z called out to him from the other side of Chorrol. Keith pushed himself off of Chorrol to turn his gaze to hers.

"Mhm?" He hummed, eyes only half open and still heavy with tiredness. Z gave him a gentle smile before handing him a small handhold Blade communicator.

"I think you should talk to your parents. They started asking questions after they found the data chip in your room and I had no choice but to tell them what happened. They know that you're safe now but…" Z looked guilty as she waved the communicator again when Keith didn't grab it immediately.

"Oh." Keith gulped and took the communicator. "I'll just-" Keith pointed off to the side, indicating that he would move away for some privacy. Z just nodded and shot him a sincere smile, Chorrol gave him two thumbs up.

When Keith found a nice secluded spot, he sank to the floor and turned on the communicator. With a few taps of his finger the communicator was sending off quiet blips as he waited for his fathers to answer.

It only took two rings before he saw his parents faces in the small screen. Thace was holding the communicator and Kolivan was looking over his shoulder. Neither of them looked thrilled to see him. Before Keith could even open his mouth for an explanation Kolivan was leaning over Thace and filling the screen with his face.

"You knew that we didn't want you going. You knew that we didn't tell you about the ship so that you wouldn't go storming in and getting yourself hurt or killed and yet you deliberately disobeyed us." His voice was shaking and Keith couldn't tell if it was from anger or something else.

It was probably anger. Keith would be angry too.

"Keith, I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but you can't keep at it." Thace piped in, putting a hand on Kolivan's shoulder to pull him back. "We were terrified."

If Keith wasn't so tired he might have felt his eyes welling up. However, it seemed he was out of tears.

"I'm sorry. I had to find Voltron again. And I did." Keith set his mouth in a firm line of determination. He would do it over again if he had too. He might change one or two things (Like stopping Lance's carving sooner) but he would still do it again.

"We could have found a different way. We could have waited," Thace tried to reason with him with a growl. Keith frowned and looked away from the communicator, unable to meet his dad's gaze.

"Pidge wouldn't have lived if I hadn't been there to stop the druid. Lance would have come in to try to help Pidge and he would have been attacked by the druid… I had to be there. I had to help Voltron. To help my friends." He turned back to his parents. They were both frowning so he continued.

"You knew that Lance was my Kalan, didn't you?" His tone was accusatory and he knew he was right when both of them turned to each other and Thace bit the inside of his cheek, one of the only tells that Keith had ever seen from him. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

Kolivan sighed. "Ulaz was the one who told us. We know that he wouldn't have told us if he wasn't 100% sure that he was your Kalan. But, it was not our place to tell you. You needed to figure it out for yourself." Keith pouted his lip out.

"Yeah, it only took me being held captive by the witch herself for me to finally accept it." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he did so. When he caught his fathers' gaze both of them were horrified.

"Haggar was on the ship? But that ship didn't have any of her labs or interrogation rooms. Why-"

"Don't you know what was on the ship?" Keith asked. When both of them shook their heads he let his head tip to the side in confusion. "It was the red lion. The last missing lion."

"Voltron was able to recover it?" Kolivan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, right before Lance and I got captured so that Pidge could get away." There was a moment of silence as all of them thought over what that meant. "We're still forming the alliance right? With Voltron we might actually have a chance of defeating Zarkon."

"But do they have a pilot for the red lion?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure they'll be able to find one." Keith assured them. He saw a momentary flash of hesitance in the two of them so he added in, "You were on board before why so hesitant now?"

"Keith… Zarkon and Haggar both are obsessed with Voltron. If we form an alliance now it will just make to target on the Blade all that much bigger. We have to consider-"

"You weren't saying any of this before. What's the real reason?" Keith cut him off.

Thace sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "I suppose we are too close to the issue now. We won't be able to make unbiased decisions. Keith," He took his hands off of his face to fix Keith with a hard stare. "Working with your Kalan will either be effortless or impossible. There is no in between. If we form an alliance all you're going to want to do is work with Voltron, even if it would impede progress. Not only that, but Voltron itself seems to have different ideals than the Blade. They have more of a 'charge in and bash through things' kind of approach and we would probably fight over many issues."

"You and I both know that the Blade has made worse decisions than forming an alliance with someone who we might potentially butt heads with. Ask anyone else in the Blade and they'll tell you that its time for a change. Our approach isn't working. Not fast enough anyways. It's time for a revolution and you both know it." Keith's voice didn't waver.

When Thace let out a quiet chuckle Keith felt his face heat up in anger and embarrassment. Why was he laughing at him?

"He's definitely your son Koli." Thace gave a pointed look to Kolivan.

"You know its funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you." They did the thing where they talked without talking and suddenly Keith realized how they were doing it.

"Hey, how do you guys control the telepathy thing?" He chimed in. They turned their attentions back to Keith.

"Do you know how to push emotions?" Kolivan asked.

"Yeah, that's easy enough."

"Okay, well you don't push thoughts like you push emotions. They are connected to each other. If you're feeling a strong emotion sometimes thoughts can carry over with them, depending on how strong the emotion is. Once you get older and your bond with your Kalan gets stronger you'll learn how to control the words you push. I assume that you'll only be able to push minor thoughts with the current of extreme emotions."

Keith nodded, bringing his hand up pull at his lip as he thought. When a jolt of pain shocked through his fingers he suddenly remembered the claws that had been ripped off and the bandages over his fingers. When he refocused his attention on his dads he could tell they were looking at his injured hand.

"I'm fine." He answered before they could say anything about it. "I'm fine, and we are going to form an alliance with Voltron." Keith tried not to let how tired he was show through his voice as he spoke. He needed to be confident and sure of himself right now. He had to convince his fathers that Voltron was a worthy ally and he needed to stop getting distracted.

"Keith-" Kolivan started.

"I'm going to go back to Voltron with Lance. I promised I'd help him with something before he was healed with the Altean's healing pods. I can talk to Allura about an alliance while I'm there, but you'll have to come or call at some point to finalize things. I'll…" Keith sighed. "I'll come back to the Blade once all of that is over."

"Keith, I know that you haven't been able to make friends easily. Not after…" He didn't say their names, but he knew what he meant.

"Aubr and Chorrol." He said for him. Thace winced but shut his eyes as he let out a steady breath.

"I know that what happened to them affected everyone, but it hit you especially hard. I'm happy that you were finally able to make new friends, but we are in a war. You can't stay with Voltron if you can't help them. You'll be so much more helpful here at the Blade of Marmora." Keith said nothing for a moment, chewing on his lip as he thought.

"You won't believe who rescued Lance from the prison." Keith said. Thace narrowed his eyes at what he thought was a sudden change in subject.

"…Who?"

"Chorrol."

Once the name made it out of his lips Keith knew he wouldn't be able to take it back, but it was time that Chorrol came out of hiding. His family deserved to know that he was alive.

Kolivan and Thace stared at Keith, neither of them speaking. They didn't seem to believe Keith.

"Really. It's Chorrol. The rebels rescued him from where he had been floating in free space, his suit automatically activated. Aubr… She didn't make it."

"You're sure?" Kolivan asked. Keith scoffed at him and Kolivan nodded his head as if that was the only answer he needed.

"As if I wouldn't be able to recognize him," Keith mumbled under his breath.

"Why didn't he come back?" Thace asked.

"Shame. Of losing Aubr. Fear of disappointing anyone when he came back without her. They were almost mates, he's lucky her death didn't kill him." Keith said quietly. He glanced down the hall where he had left Chorrol and Z, making sure they were still out of ear shot. He felt bad for outing Chorrol like this, but he needed to move on. His family deserved to know he was alive.

"Should I inform his kin?" Kolivan had a hand on Thace's shoulder, steadying himself with his Kalan.

"Not yet," Keith sighed. "I'm going to try to convince him to do it himself first, but if that doesn't work and he won't speak to them, we have to at least let them know that he's okay." Kolivan nodded his head and glanced weakly over to Thace.

"I can't believe it…" Thace put his hand over Kolivan's and hummed out a tone of agreement. With this lull Keith saw his chance to escape.

"I think I should go now. I'll talk to Chorrol as soon as I get to him. I'm sorry that I scared you guys, but I'm alive. I love you."

"Oh no you don't. You're still in trouble boy. I'm not done-" Kolivan's voice cut out as Keith ended the call with a sigh. He was already in deep water, what was another drop gonna hurt? He'd deal with it when he got back to the base.

For now, it was Chorrol's turn.

The short trek back to his friends wasn't difficult by any means, and should not have been considered a trek. But, when Keith finally made it back to them he was breathing heavy painful breaths through his semi-healed broken ribs.

"Your turn," He said as he dropped Z's communicator onto Chorrol's crossed legs.

"What?" Chorrol cocked his head to the side and watched as Keith collapsed beside him against the wall.

"Your. Turn." Keith panted. "Call your family. Tell them you're okay. Let them know that you're alive and helping the rebels and that you're eating three meals a day like you should be."

Chorrol chuckled nervously. "They're better off thinking I'm dead," He cast his gaze to his lap, to the communicator.

"You meant the world to them." Keith had to keep himself from screaming. "They all came to your name scratching ceremony in light blue robes and your mother still wears a blue pin everyday for you. Your siblings became distant and they still seem stuck in a daze. Your father hardly speaks unless spoken to but he still works in the Blade database systems. Call them, right now, and tell them that you love them."

Chorrol's lip quivered. "I can't…"

Keith could feel his anger welling up. Chorrol would rather let his family grieve him for the rest of their lives than confront them.

"You can, and you will." Keith's voice let no room for argument. Chorrol looked over at Z and then to Keith.

"Will you… Can you do it with me?" Chorrol's face was fearful and meek. Keith nodded his head. Chorrol set his mouth in a firm line and handed the communicator to Keith. "Do it."

Keith dialed Chorrol's parents.

It took quite a few rings before they picked up, and in that time, Keith could see Chorrol slowly getting cold feet. Just when Keith thought he was going to bolt Z grabbed his hand.

"Don't even think about it," She threatened. Chorrol gulped and laughed nervously.

"I wasn't thinking about anything."

"Hello? Keith?" Everyone's attention was drawn to the communicator in Keith's hand and the female voice that rang out from it.

"Hi there-"

"Whose communicator are you using? Have you called your parents yet, they've been worried sick about you!" Keith cringed and nodded his head.

"Yes, I just finished talking to them."

"Why did you call me then?" Her blue pin shimmered in the light from her room. Keith looked pointedly at Chorrol who was currently off screen. He was staring at his mother with tears in his eyes.

"Are you ready?" Keith asked him. He gave him a lost look before he swallowed thickly and nodded, holding his hand out for the communicator. Keith handed it over.

"Who's there? Who's ready?" Chorrol's mother was asking. Chorrol finally steadied the communicator so that it was clear and she was able to see him. Her jaw snapped shut audibly and she brought a hand over her mouth. Her other hand reached out towards her side of the camera, touching the screen of her communicator which was most likely mounted on the wall.

"This doesn't make sense. I'm dreaming." She said in a calm voice, unsure of what was real and what she was imagining.

"No mom. I'm-" The damn broke and Chorrol let out a sob. "I'm right here. I'm sorry. I'm so so so sorry. I-" He stopped talking as his breathing got out of hand. Chorrol's mother had silent tears running down her face.

"Keith." She called out. Keith gently tilled the communicator so that she could see him. "My boy. That's my boy? My baby boy is-" her lips began to tremble. "-alive?" Keith gave her a small smile.

"Yes ma'am," He answered before turning it back to Chorrol. His mom finally let out a sob and Keith could tell that the only emotion within it was love.

"Baby? Baby when are you coming home?" Chorrol tried to wipe the tears off his face. They were just replaced with newer ones.

"Mama I can't…"

"Why not? Please, we've missed you so much."

"I'm helping the rebels now. I'm a failure to the Blade. To you, to Aubr-"

"Chorrol never in your life have you been a failure. A runt maybe, but never a failure." A wobbly smile made its way onto Chorrol's blotchy face. "Baby please, you don't even have to stay, but I need to hold you in my arms. I thought I'd never be able to hold you again…" She broke into another sob.

"Mama…"

"Your dad and sisters aren't gonna believe me if you don't come back. They'll think I'm having another psychotic break. We've all missed you so much." Chorrol's lip wobbled.

"…Okay. I'll see what I can do." Chorrol promised.

"Oh, my baby is coming home!"

Z put a hand on his shoulder and Chorrol glanced over to her. "I can take you back to the Blade with me when I go." Chorrol nodded his head and muttered.

"I'm going to have to get a few days off then…"

The sound of a door opening grabbed Keith's attention. Lance walked out with Matt right behind him. He was smiling and he made a bee line to Keith.

"Voltron is going to be here in half an hour!" Keith grinned at his enthusiasm.

"Good." Keith pushed himself to his feet and glanced to Chorrol. He was still talking to his mom so he led Lance off to the side to allow him a bit of privacy. "So, the meeting wasn't as boring as you thought it was going to be?" He teased.

"What? No, the meeting was all politics and 'who does this,' and 'why not do that, blah blah blah' but they had sent out a small distress beacon in hopes that the Galra would ignore it and Allura would answer it and it worked!" Lance threw his hands up in the air as he talked acting out what he was saying. "And I didn't get to talk to everyone because it was all 'official business' but everyone was there and Pidge was okay."

"That's good," Keith let out a sigh of relief he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"They asked about you too, you know." Lance nudged Keith with his elbow, raising his eyes brows.

"…They did?" Keith tried not to let his heart swell as much as it did.

"Yeah. I told them that you were okay and that you would be going back to the Castle with me when they finally got here. Pidge said she had something important to tell you."

Keith narrowed his eyes and racked his brain for what Pidge could possibly need to tell him. He came up empty. "What was it?"

"I don't know, she didn't want to say it over the open line. You'll just have to wait and see." Keith huffed out an impatient sigh. He hated waiting. He glanced at Lance and sighed again.

He had no choice but to wait.

Lance chuckled at him and then turned to Matt. "Hey Matt?" Matt was standing a bit away from them, closer to Chorrol, as he tapped at something on his wrist.

"Yeah?" Matt asked as he looked up from what he was doing.

"Could you show me back to where you found me? I left my armor in there." Lance asked sheepishly.

"Sure, no prob." He clicked on the screen a few more times before lowering his arm. Lance started towards him and we he realized that Keith wasn't following he turned back with a frown.

"You coming?"

Keith shook his head. "Nah. I'm gonna stay here for a bit longer." He cut his eyes to Chorrol and then back to Lance. "I'll catch up with you before the Castle gets here." He promised.

"Alright." Lance gave a weak wave as he followed after Matt.

Once they were gone Keith made his way back to Chorrol. He was saying his goodbyes, much to his mother's dismay. She only allowed him to hang up once Z promised to 'get her boy back home in a timely manner.'

"Bye mom, I love you."

"I love you too baby," She waved goodbye as Chorrol ended the transmission. When she was gone Chorrol let out a shaky breath before pushing his fists against his eyes as he let out an unsteady laugh.

"Keith," He didn't remove his hands when he spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." Although he only said two words Keith understood the expansive meaning behind them.

Thank you

For coming back.

For accepting me.

For making me get my head out of my ass.

So, he might not have meant that exactly, but it was close enough.

Keith smiled as he came to Chorrol's side. "Seems like you've got some packing to do," He said as he reached down a hand to help Chorrol up. Chorrol took his hands off of his eyes with a sigh.

"Yeah." He took Keith's hand. Keith ended up being less help than he had intended, to weak and short to boost Chorrol up even the slightest.

"You need to get some sleep man," Chorrol noted gesturing first to the bags under his eyes and then… the rest of him.

"You just gestured to all of me," Keith said as he crossed his arms over his chest. The words brought back the day the two of them were waiting for Aubr and Keith smiled fondly at the memory. Chorrol also seemed to have gotten the reference and he simply grinned and shook his head. "Plus, I've barely been awake for more than two and a half Vargas. I can't just sleep forever."

"You need to let your body heal."

"Then it can tough it out and do so while I'm awake." Keith stuck his nose up at him. When he heard Chorrol sigh he knew that the matter had been dropped.

"Chorrol," Z piped in, "You really should start packing. I've got to get going soon." Chorrol spared her a glance before nodding. "I'm gonna go get my ship ready. Meet me in the docking bay when you're done." Keith thought that Z was going to leave but she changed directions at the last second and jogged quickly over to stand before Keith.

"Bye Keith. I don't know when I'll see you again, but it feels like it won't be anytime soon." With that she threw her arms around his shoulders (gently, because Keith still looked like a tired corpse) and gave him a small squeeze. Keith hesitated only a tick before wrapping his arms around her.

"Bye Z." He whispered into her chest.

"Go catch up with your boy." She told him as she pulled away. Keith gave her a toothy smile and nodded.

Once she turned the corner it was only Chorrol and Keith. They stayed quiet for a few moments before Chorrol closed the space between them in two steps. He wrapped his arms around Keith much tighter than Z but Keith didn't care. He buried his face in Chorrol's shirt and grabbed fistfuls of the fabric on his back in a vice like grip.

Neither of them spoke. They didn't need words right now, they just held each other.

Keith let himself be reminded of how it had felt to watch Chorrol and Aubr die. The impossibly overwhelming grief that came with it was almost to much for him to handle on his own. By the time he had finally excepted their deaths he had sufficiently numbed his mind to the pain they brought on.

But Chorrol was here, and he felt like it was a dream. And even though Aubr wasn't here with them it felt like she was. It felt like she was visiting from the Above to wrap them up in one last group hug as they finally let her go.

As Chorrol finally let her go, with the help of Keith and his other loved ones. Aubr would run her hand down the side of Chorrol's face and kiss him on the top of his head before giving Keith a kiss on his cheek and waving goodbye to the both of them with a grin to join the spirit world.

"Did you feel that?" Chorrol whispered. Keith nodded his head.

"She was saying goodbye." Keith forced himself not to cry. She wanted them to be happy. Chorrol couldn't help but to let out one dry sob, but that was all he allowed himself.

It was a full dobash before Keith loosened his hold, his ribs screaming to be free from Chorrol's crushing hug.

"Go pack before Z leaves without you," Keith told him.

"I'll miss you too Keith." Chorrol answered. Keith was only a little bit angry that Chorrol was able to read him so well. As Chorrol turned around and made his way down the hall Keith rubbed his hands up and down his forearms, suddenly feeling cold.

Maybe he did need some more sleep.

He trailed off down the hall that he thought would bring him back to Lance.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay. I ended up getting a REALLY bad bought of depression and was trying to find ways to get out of the house and YADDA YADDA anyways, thanks for sticking with me, it really means a lot :)**

 **Also, I have art for Galra Keith! it's on my art tumblr renncandraw Along with the link to my Ko-fi account (Which is also renncandraw) Please, if you like my art and writing, consider supporting me!**

 **Also again lol this fic just hit a year old on feb 11! its been so long guys.**

 **As always, I love you guys, and I will try to update ASAP!**


	26. Chapter 26

When he finally found his way back to the large room that he had started in Lance was waiting for him.

"Are you cold?" He asked, watching as Keith rubbed his hands up and down his arms. Keith had shifted so that he was in full Galra form to try to retain some heat but the longer he walked the colder he seemed to get. He needed some more food and rest.

When Keith didn't answer him, Lance grabbed the blanket and stood on his tiptoes to wrap it around Keith's shoulders.

"The castle will be here any minute now, they'll probably try to get us in the healing pods as soon as possible." Lance smoothed the blanket down Keith's shoulders patting out the wrinkles. After a few moments of doing this his eyes widened and they snapped up to Keith's face, which was quickly regaining its heat. He pulled his hands away and took a step back. "Sorry." He cast his gaze to the floor. "Anyways, Matt said he'd come and get us as soon as-"

"Lance they're here!" Matt called out not far off.

"-they get here," Lance finished his sentence. "Well. That answers that." Lance smiled as he stooped down to grab his armor. Keith grabbed his helmet for him when his arms seemed too full to carry anything more. Lance grunted his thanks and followed Matt as he led the way to the Castle ship.

Their steps echoed loudly around the narrow hallway they were walking through, but not loud enough to cover the sound of Keith's stomach rumbling.

"Do you think they'll have any food ready when we get on board?" Keith asked Lance as his stomach growled again.

"Maybe- Hunk might have prepared something. He cooks when he's bored or nervous or… well he cooks a lot." Lance huffed out as he hefted his armor into a new position. The leg piece was scraping across the floor, so Keith grabbed it out of Lance's hands.

"What? I got it-"

"Shut up and let me carry it. It's not even that heavy." Keith said as he flung it over his shoulder. It folded at the knee joint and the connected boot smacked his butt. "Ack!" Keith let out an involuntary sound of surprise and Lance began to laugh.

"What are you guys doing back there?" Matt asked more to himself than the two of them. Keith frowned and gave Lance the stink eye, ears folding back and what little fur he had poofing out. This only seemed to make Lance laugh harder.

"You look like an angry cat!" He doubled over to laugh harder, and in that moment let one piece of armor slip from his grasp, a stray arm flopping onto the floor. He stopped, laughter subdued to a giggle as he tried to pick it up without putting any of the other armor on the floor. After a moment of struggling and squatting awkwardly without bending over, he managed to pick up the armor.

Just as he dropped his glove armor.

Lance pouted his lip out and narrowed his eyes at it. When he let out a frustrated groan Keith decided to take over.

"Need a hand?" He asked, struggling to keep a straight face as he grabbed the glove and held it in front of Lance's face. Lance held his lips in a tight line, but Keith could tell he was struggling to not laugh at his genius pun. When Lance didn't crack he struggled to think of something more.

"Oh wait, you already have one." Keith pointed to the other glove on top of Lance's pile of armor and that was all it took for him to break.

"That's such a stupid pun!" He shouted, trying to cover his laughter, but Keith could see his smile.

"You're the one laughing!" Keith shot back, smile wide.

"Guys? Are you okay?" Matt questioned. The two of them turned to face him, quiet for just a moment before they began laughing again.

"Uh…" Matt didn't seem to know how to respond. "The uh. The pod from the castle is right through here." Matt gestured to the docking bay they had been standing in front of since Lance dropped his glove. The two of them glanced at each other and composed themselves.

Lance nodded to Matt to lead the way, wobbly smile still on his face.

A pure white Altean pod sat waiting for them. As they approached Lance began shifting around his armor, presumably to open the pod for them as Matt probably didn't know much about the Altean tech and Keith definitely wasn't confident in his knowledge of how the thing worked. But Lance never got the chance to put down his armor because the pod suddenly came to life, veins of bright blue illuminating the immediate area.

"What…" Lance muttered quietly to himself with an air of confusion.

The pod opened, revealing-

No one.

Keith cocked his head to the side and shrugged before getting in. He was tired, hungry, and in pain. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. Matt followed close behind, Lance trailing in after him.

"This thing is fully automated then. I figured someone would come out." Matt mused aloud. Lance tossed his armor into a haphazard pile in a corner before seating himself in the pilot's seat. Keith placed the armor he held on top of the pile and grabbed the co-pilot's seat. Matt sat himself on the floor in the back.

Before Lance could even touch the controls, the pod was moving.

"Well I guess you won't get to see my a-mazing pilot skills," Lance smirked over at Keith. Keith rolled his eyes but allowed himself to smile.

"Sure," Keith answered in a flat voice, teasing him.

"Uh! I'm a boss pilot. I'll show you. When we get back I'll take you on a ride in Blue and then you'll have to eat your words!" Lance crossed his arms pouting his lip out. If his back wasn't injured Keith was sure that he would have thrown himself dramatically back into his chair. As it was, he sat perched on the edge of his seat, sitting up straight and tense.

It must have been tiring.

Keith was slouching lazily against his chair, eyes beginning to droop along with his ears which he no longer felt like holding up at attention. He wanted to curl up and sleep but the pod would be at the castle soon and he didn't want to have to wake himself up and feel worse than before. So, with a sigh, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He pushed the blanket off of his shoulders and folded into a pillow before slotting it behind Lance.

"What are you doing." It sounded less like a question and more like an accusation. Keith furrowed his brows and gestured vaguely. Lance held his hand up in a way that said, "I don't know what that means."

Keith gestured again and said, "Lean back." Keith watched as Lance bit the inside of his cheek before he leaned back. He said nothing more but Keith felt a breath of relief leave his lips as the tension in Lance shoulders faded away and he allowed the blanket to be a cushion for his back.

It wasn't too much longer after that when the pod flew around a distant moon and the rebel base left their line of sight, only to be replaced with the Castle of Lions. A small gasp could be heard from behind them as Matt stood and moved closer to the view screen.

"Wow. That's…" He didn't even finish his sentence, trailing off with his mouth slightly open. As the pod docked itself the small group gathered their things and waited for the door to open.

"Ready to see Pidge? She's gonna freak when she sees you," Lance says.

"I know, I almost regret surprising her like this."

"It'll be great. Can't wait to see the look on her face."

With that the door opened, a soft hiss whispering through the air. Keith tensed, feeling a sharp stab of last second anxiety. Would the group really be happy to see him? Or would they blame Keith for getting Lance captured. They might even blame him for Pidge's injuries-

Lance nudged him with his elbow, not letting his thoughts get too out of hand and grabbing his attention to offer him a smile. A feeling of reassurance ran through Keith and he had to stifle a gasp.

Lance had just projected reassurance to him, just like any Kalan could do. He might not have even realized that he had done it but Keith was still in shock as the door moved away to give them full view of their welcoming party.

Allura, Shiro, and Coran were standing back with wide smiles, Coran quickly pushing his way forward to the front of the group with a, "Lance! My boy!"

Hunk was standing by a cart piled high with strange looking foods, Pidge was standing beside him, her mouth opening and closing as she caught sight of Matt.

She took a hesitant step closer before breaking into a full-on run, beating Coran up the ramp to their little group.

"Matt!" She squealed and buried her face in his chest armor, which didn't look comfortable. Matt wrapped his arms around her and let out a laugh.

"Hey Pidgey," He said into her hair.

"Lance!" Coran had finally made it to the pod and had shining tears in his eyes as he stopped abruptly in front of the dark-skinned boy. He paused before wrapping his arms around him in the gentlest, most caring hug.

"Hey Coran," Lance said in a soft voice, patting him on the back. Keith heard Coran's soft sobs echoing around the quiet room.

"Lemme get in on that!" Hunk said as he jogged over to join the hug. Shiro and Allura surprisingly weren't far behind. Pidge and Matt broke away from each other to join the giant group hug. (Though Pidge didn't let go of Matt's arm)

Keith watched the reunion with a genuine smile, but he couldn't help the sadness creeping into his gaze. He felt a pang of homesickness. A wish for a time in the past when Aubr and Chorrol would hug him like that after a mission or when his dads decided he was being too moody so they would crush him with affection until he caved and smiled.

"Hey where's Keith?" Hunk piped up from somewhere within the huddle. Keith felt his smile wobble a little as Pidge chimed in.

"Hey!" She looked over her shoulder at him. "Get over here. It's a group hug you fool." A following of, "yeah" and "Come on" rang out from the group until Keith had no choice but to join in. He was quickly absorbed into the open arms of team Voltron.

He smiled so wide that it hurt and he told himself that was why he felt tears prickling his eyes. He refused to let any fall. He was happy, and he didn't feel like crying anymore.

He didn't get to stay there long though.

"Okay guys, I love you all, but you're crushing me," Lance said, squirming from somewhere to Keith's right. Keith couldn't help but to agree, his ribs were howling in pain. The both of them could really use a healing pod right now.

The group reluctantly dispersed and gave them enough room to move away from the pod. Lance didn't even bother picking up the armor that he had dropped. He was about to start kicking it away from the pod when Shiro stooped down and grabbed it for him, Allura by his side.

"I'll take this for you." He said when he passed by Keith, grabbing the rest of Lance's armor with a smile. Keith let him take it and followed Lance towards the cart of food that Hunk had made. Keith didn't recognize any of the foods but Lance squealed as he looked over them.

"Is this some kind of earth food?" Keith asked with a raised brow as he scanned over the food. He decided now was as good a time as any and slowly changed back to the human form he had grown accustomed to on the castle ship.

Lance turned to answer him and flinched back a step before letting out an embarrassed breath. "God, warn a guy before you just go from tall-ass-purple-alien to a kind-of-short-normal-human-person." Lance reached out a hand and poked Keith's shoulder, pulling his hand back quickly as if he would suddenly return to his Galra form. When nothing happened, Lance stood up straight.

"Ha. I'm taller than you now." He put his hands on his hips triumphantly, straining slightly to make himself as tall as he could be. Keith simply rolled his eyes. He was used to being the short one and he was too tired to bicker with Lance at the moment. His stomach gurgled in annoyance and he looked up to Hunk, still waiting for an explanation of the food.

"What was your question again?" Hunk laughed good naturedly.

"Is this some kind of earth food?"

"Oh! Well, since all I know how to make is earth food I tried to mimic some of the recipes and these are the only things that worked out okay. Most of them ended up not cooking right or being very… disruptive to the guts. Anyways," Hunk directed the next part to Lance. "I managed to make a space fajita." Lance's face immediately lit up.

"Where!" He was pushing the platters around, searching for this 'space fajita.' Hunk pushed his hands out of the way and pulled a platter from the group. Lance gasped and took it from Hunk's hands as if it was the answer to all questions of the universe. Lance's wide eyes looked away from the food for half a moment to connect with Hunk's gaze.

"You're a god among men. Praise you," Lance cradled the food to himself but didn't eat it. Keith finally tore his eyes away from him long enough to examine the other foods. He grabbed a random platter, he wasn't very picky and at this point would eat just about anything. Hunk handed him a spoon and Lance a fork.

"Coran has the healing pods ready whenever you guys finish up." Hunk said as he began to push the cart away. Before he could get too far away Keith grabbed another plate of food, thanking Hunk, and returned to Lance.

He still hadn't touched the food but Keith was already halfway through his first plate, something with layers of cheese and a sweet red sauce. After a while Lance took a hesitant bite from his food.

The resulting moan didn't really match the tears in his eyes.

"Lance… um-"

"Shh." Lance shushed him.

How was he supposed to respond to that? Keith didn't really know what to do so he just kept eating. When he finished his second plate he felt like he had satisfied his hunger for a little bit longer. In the background Keith could hear Matt and Pidge talking excitedly about something, their footsteps growing closer.

Lance was fiddling with his fork, staring at his plate but not really looking at it.

"Hey guys!" Pidge said, pulling Lance from his thoughts.

"Hm?"

"I'm gonna show Matt around, want to come with?" Pidge gestured to Matt, a large smile on her face.

Keith looked at Lance, expecting him to answer. When he didn't say a word, Keith spoke up. "Actually, I think we're going to go to the healing pods for a while." A darkness flew across Pidge's eyes and she nodded her head once, then twice, before coming closer to throw her arms around Keith.

Keith hugged her back and she pulled away to wrap her arms around Lance. As she stepped back she spoke, "I'm so glad that you're okay."

Lance seemed to finally break from his trance and smiled. "Same goes to you, Pidgeon." He ruffled her hair and she shouted out in protest. "Hey, if you're showing Matt around that means that you'll swing by the kitchen, right?"

Pidge raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Good! Can you drop off our plates on your way there?" Lance held out his plate to her with a devilish grin. She narrowed her eyes at him and Keith was sure that she would refuse when Matt chimed in.

"Sure, why not." He grabbed the plate from Lance's outstretched hand and then took the two that Keith was holding. "You guys go get in the healing pods." Pidge seemed mildly annoyed at Matt, but she wasn't actually doing any work so she didn't say anything. She turned and led the way to the kitchen.

"Feel better!" Pidge yelled over her shoulder on her way out.

"I honestly thought we were going to have to go all the way to the kitchen to put those back." Lance said as he turned to Keith with a small smile. "You ready?" Keith nodded.

"You still want me to make those symbols?" He asked lowly. Lance worried his lip for half a moment before nodding.

"I'll get Coran to find something to block the pain when we get in there." Lance was already turning and walking (His limp was starting to return as the old medicine began to wear off) towards the door before he even finished his sentence.

Keith caught up and walked by his side. So… Lance was ready to do this.

But was Keith?

He shouldn't be having second thoughts about this right now. He had already promised that he would do this but… The thought of cutting Lance's skin just like the soldiers who had already caused him so much pain… it made his stomach turn.

He glanced over towards Lance. He held his shoulders straight and tall but the slight quiver of his lip told Keith that the projected confidence was false. He was just as nervous as Keith was, but he seemed dead set on following through.

Keith had no choice but to do this favor for Lance. For the Blue paladin of Voltron.

For his Kalan.

Lance's big blue eyes turned towards Keith and caught him staring. Keith averted his gaze, slightly embarrassed and started walking faster.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they arrived, Coran was waiting for them with two pods ready to go.

"Alright boys. Hop in and I'll set you up." Coran clicked a button on the panel before him and the two pods opened invitingly.

Lance took a step forward and put his hand on Coran's shoulder. "Coran… can I talk to you for a second." Lance leads him to the side and begins talking to him in a hushed voice. Keith doesn't bother listening in as he approached one of the pods, examining the place he would be stuck until he was healed.

"Are you sure?" Coran's voice echoes louder than he intended. Keith glances back and sees the concern ridden man reach out hesitantly and hover over Lance's shoulder. When Lance nods Coran sets his lips into a harsh line and gulps. "I'll… Go and…" He doesn't finish his sentence, just goes to get what Lance asked for.

Lance bites his lips for a moment before he takes a breath and walks to the opposite side of the room. He pushes his hand against the wall and a waist high platform as long as an average sized person slides out.

He places his hand against another spot on the wall and a large box extends outwards. Lance reaches into the box and procures a body suit that Keith remembered the others wearing when they were in the healing pods. He places it on the table and then grabs a second suit, placing it on top of the first.

Coran's footsteps pull Keith's attention away from Lance. In his arms he holds a small bowl, a rag, a scalpel, and a vial of clear liquid.

Keith takes a few quiet steps closer to Lance, heart beginning to pound painfully as he steeled himself for what was a about to come. He would do this for Lance.

"Are you doing this by yourself?" Coran asked Lance as he placed all of his things onto the edge of the table. Lance gave him a small smile.

"Keith is going to help me." Coran's eyes shot over to Keith who was standing a few feet away.

"I could help you, I have a bit of training in this-"

"Really Coran. It's okay." Lance gave him a quick hug and continued. "Would you mind waiting outside? I just don't want you to have to-"

"Don't worry son, call me back in when you are ready." Coran's gentle smile was haunted by a darkness that both of them could see. "Keith, wet the rag with the collep and dab it over where ever you need to numb the skin. It should reduce bleeding as well." Coran gave Keith a stern look as he said, "Be careful." And with that he turned and left the room.

"Ten cuidado," Lance muttered under his breath. Shuffling some of the items about.

"What?" Keith asked, ears flicking forwards. Lance furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes.

"Could you hear that? I barely spoke."

"Yeah, I mean-" Keith gestured to the Galra ears atop his head. "Much more efficient than human ears."

"You've had super hearing this whole time and failed to tell any of us!" Lance scoffed in disbelief.

"Well I thought that you would have figured it out by now." Keith smirked. "What did you say though? I've heard you say those words before, I just don't know what they mean." Keith briefly recalled the time when Allura was piloting them towards the soon-to-be super nova and Lance had been saying his goodbyes. What were his exact words?

"Buena suerte, ten cuidado. That's what you said." Lance frowned, looking down at the space he had made on the table so that he could sit. Before he responded he removed his shirt and pushed himself up onto the table with his back facing Keith. His carvings took up all of Keith's vison and for a moment Keith's mind was elsewhere.

"It was something my mom used to tell me. I'm from Cuba and people there usually speak Spanish. But, the other paladins, they only speak English so that's what I usually use." Keith said nothing taking just a moment to let Lance's words sink in before he grabbed the vial of collep and poured it into the bowl. So, earth had many different languages then? Maybe the Galra language interpreter that Keith had only knew English.

"Anyways, it means good luck, be careful. It was just something… I don't know. I've always heard it and returned it. No one on the ship speaks any Spanish and I feel like…" Lance trailed off, his shoulders sinking and his hands gripping the edge of the table tightly. Keith dipped the rag into the collep and began to dab at Lance's left shoulder. Lance let out a quiet hiss, tensing before his shoulders slumped again.

"Sometimes it feels like, if I don't use it, I'll forget it. And… and I can't forget it. It's the same way that I'm afraid that I'm going to forget my family-" Lance's jaw shut with an audible click with the word family.

Keith couldn't imagine being stuck in space for so long without talking to Thace or Kolivan. Without them supporting his decisions or being by his side when he made them. In the time that they had believed Keith was dead and had no communication with him Keith had learned how much they mattered to him.

But here Lance was, stuck in space for so long without his family. Keith had never seen him call them or talk about them freely, so he assumed that he wasn't able to speak to them. Did they even know that he was out here in the first place?

Keith dabbed at his back a bit before he finally spoke up.

"If you wanted to, you could teach me some Spanish. That way you wouldn't forget and you could always have a bit of home with you. I'm not super patient or the especially good at learning that sort of thing, but I'd love to give it a try." Keith moved on to Lance's other shoulder as he waited for a response.

When one didn't come he set down the rag and called Lance's name.

"Thank you." Was all that Lance said, his voice heavy with emotion. "Thank you, Keith."

He knew he shouldn't, but Keith pushed at their bond, trying to dig into Lance's exact feelings and he found himself faced with immense relief and gratitude. It was too overwhelming to be in for too long so he forced himself out.

"Of course." Keith grabbed the scalpel. "Are you ready?" He asked. Lance reached up and tapped the skin on his shoulder and nodded.

"Can't feel a thing, do it."

So, he did.

He changed the symbols of useless, stupid, and annoying to those of starlight, gentleness, and Raegela. Keith felt as if Raegela, soul strength, fit Lance much more than the others.

"Done." Keith placed the red stained scalpel into the bowl of left over collep with a soft clink.

"Should I look?"

"Maybe you should wait until you get out of the healing pod." Lance nodded his head and pushed himself off of the table to stand.

"Guess we should get to it then." He shot Keith a blinding smile and tossed one of the healing pods suits at him.

And his heart melted just a bit more.

* * *

 **lol I forgot to post this here sorry**


	27. Chapter 27

Two days. That's how long they spent in the healing pods.

Lance was the first one out. When he stumbled forwards and fell into Hunk's waiting arms he was a bit dazed and confused but recovered relatively quickly. The whole team was there, including Matt. They all smiled and crushed him in loving hugs before telling him, "God you smell!"

Thanks Pidge.

He pulled himself from everyone's embrace and let his gaze fall to Keith's resting face, light purple spots dancing over his skin. He was still, eerily so, but if he looked close enough he could faintly make out the rise and fall of his chest.

He hesitated there for a while. Not that he didn't want to shower and get his skin care routine back on track ASAP, but Keith… He still hadn't woken up yet and Lance knew he shouldn't have been worried but…

"Allura?" Lance started softly, Pidge pinching her nose and waving her hand in front of her face behind him as he spoke.

"Yes, Lance?"

"Why did I wake up first? Was Keith worse…" He didn't even want to finish the sentence. _Of course_ he was worse off. He already knew that, he had seen him after they had been rescued. It was a stupid question to ask in the first place.

"The pods work with the energy that your body gains through rest and food, it seemed that Keith was lacking in those things much more than you so the pod had to replenish that before it could start healing him. According to the read outs he should wake up in roughly…" She turned to Shiro and he mouthed a word to her. "One earth _hour_." She spoke the word as if it didn't fit in her mouth.

"Are you sure?" Lance asked. He knew that he really needed to clean himself up and he definitely wanted to see how everything had scarred over, but he _had_ to be here when Keith woke up.

"Yes Lance, I am certain." Allura answered.

"Don't worry buddy." Hunk chimed in from his side. "If Keith shows any signs of waking up I'll come get you." Hunk gave him a winning smile and Lance knew that he would be true to his word.

"Plus, you don't want to smell like ass when your boyfriend wakes up." Pidge struck in helpfully. Lance narrowed his eyes at her.

"Pidge I thought that-" before Shiro could start his dad rant Lance butted in.

"He's not my boyfriend." Lance crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

"Oh yeah?" Pidge challenges, taking a step closer with a teasing smile. "Then what is he?" Lance could feel his face heating up and he prayed his dark skin tone would cover his blush.

"He's my friend obviously."

"Mhm." Pidge gave him a knowing look, as if she knew _anything._ Lance stuck his tongue out at her and she did the same.

It was strange how at home it made him feel to be bickering with Pidge, Shiro looking at the two of them with slight disappointment and Hunk smiling nervously off to the side. It was strange how much it felt like they were a family up here in space with the Alteans on board of a massive castle-spaceship.

It wasn't strange though, how relieved that Lance felt to be back with them.

…

After showering and cleaning himself off Lance allowed himself to get a clearer look at his carvings. Standing before the mirror in only his boxers he turned to the side to look at his left shoulder. He could faintly make out which lines had been made by Keith's gentle strokes and which ones had been carved by the jagged edges from the original cuts. However, it wasn't very obvious and if he wasn't looking for it he wouldn't have noticed at all.

He ran his finger tips over the mark. The skin was a shade lighter than the skin around it and the lines were slightly raised.

They were a part of him now, and they would be for the rest of his life.

Starlight, gentleness, and Raegela.

He felt, for a moment, that he wouldn't mind. Something akin to a sigh of acceptance left his lips, but it didn't match the sinking feeling of dread that settled in his stomach. Where did that come from?

Something was wrong.

The dread grew and then it was replaced with agonizing fear. The feeling made his stomach churn and his heart race and his palms sweat and he honestly thought that he would throw up if the feeling didn't stop soon.

Without another thought Lance was hopping on one foot while he yanked his pants up and grabbing his shirt as he sprinted from the showers.

…

It started out like he was floating. Hovering on a cloud. Warm darkness.

It was… empty.

But it was okay. It was a nice kind of empty. Something that had no rhyme or reason but was relaxing nevertheless.

And then it wasn't.

Then it was cold. Still dark but with a dull purple glow to allow him to see the things around him. He recognized the prison cell. His stomach dropped.

He didn't want to be here.

An angry sound assaulted his ears- the scratching of metal on metal. He tried to block his ears but there was an invisible barrier keeping him in place.

A door opened.

 _Lance._

He tried to speak but he couldn't, it was like he had no voice.

 _Lance!_

Lance didn't move from the doorway. He stood there, staring blankly through him.

A hand appeared on Lance's shoulder.

 _no._

Lance's face twisted in pain.

 _No._

He tried to move towards him again but he was still stuck in place, no matter how hard he struggled. Lance's face contorted in agony and his eye began to swell as if he had been punched. Scratches made a bloody trail down his cheek and he let out a soundless scream.

 _No!_

He pushed and yanked and struggled against the thing keeping him from his Kalan. It was beginning to give.

Lance collapsed to the floor and his shirt dissolved off of his shoulders. A Galra hand carved into his skin from the darkness around him and this time he could almost hear Lance's voice.

He pushed against the barrier with renewed vigor.

 _"Lance!"_

"Keith, wake up!" Lance's voice shattered the image before him and his eyes opened for real.

He was in the Castle of Lions. The room with the healing pods. More specifically, he was situated in Lance's arms where he had fallen from his healing pod. The rest of team Voltron (+ Matt) was there as well and every eye was on him.

"Keith, do you know where you are now?" Lance asked softly. Keith pulled his eyes back to the man who was holding him. There were no scratches or bruising or… shirt… to cover his chest. Brown skin flooded his vison, along with pale, slightly raised scars. He felt relief wash away the worry he had been feeling and slumped into his hold.

"I'm-" His voice was choked, as if his body was still in the dream. He coughed, cleared his throat, and nodded. He steadied himself on his own feet before taking a step back from Lance.

He was a little dizzy and he felt like all of his limbs were still asleep but he ignored it in favor of glancing at the other occupants of the room.

While their gazes had been on Keith only a moment ago, they were now on Lance and his bare shoulders and back. Lance had his shirt clenched in his hand and his chest was heaving as if he had just been running.

"Were you having a nightmare?" Lance asked, closing the distance that Keith had just created. Then he turned his body to face Allura, who was standing in the group behind them. "What happened? Can you have nightmares while you're in the healing… pod." What had started as a confident sentence trailed off weakly when he noticed where everyone's attention had gathered.

No one was speaking. There was nothing for them to say but it was obvious what they wanted to say.

 _What did they do to you?_

The silence grew. Lance worried his lip momentarily as he scanned each expression, searching for something in their gazes.

The silence persisted to the point that it was almost unbearable, but then Shiro cleared his throat and nudged Allura who blinked and shot him a questioning look.

"Can you have nightmares while in the healing pods, Princess?" He restated the question and Keith could see her slowly start to get back to herself.

Lance put on his shirt as she spoke. "Well, yes. It is possible to have nightmares and dreams while in the pods, but it isn't very common. I have seen it happen before, but we didn't open the chamber for her and she calmed down and didn't even remember it when she awoke." Allura turned towards the pod controls and absently fiddled with some of the read outs, Shiro looking over her shoulder.

Pidge and Hunk shared a frightened look but didn't move from their spots. Matt frowned and stared at where Lance's carvings were. Coran's features were tight and he seemed to be holding an internal war with himself over whether or not to come closer.

Lance was staring at his bare feet, ashamedly. His hair was damp and he smelled fresh. He must have been in the shower not long ago.

Speaking of which, Keith could really use one.

He nudged Lance's shoulder with his own, grabbing his attention. In a low voice he said, "They are just worried." Lance peeked back at the others. "Now, where were the showers again? I smell like a plag."

"You're right." Lance gave a weak smile. "You do smell like a plag."

"Hey!" Keith gasped and shoved his shoulder playfully.

Lance smirked and shoved him back before announcing, "Guys, I'm gonna take Keith to the showers."

"Sure you are." Pidge smiled softly at him before winking. Hunk gasped and Matt chuckled. The awkward moment was over.

"Ugg, you are insufferable." Lance rolled his eyes and started to make his way out of the infirmary.

"I bet you can't even spell insufferable." Pidge shot back.

"Well I know that you can't spell it without 'u.'" Lance smirked. Keith could tell that he was mentally hi-five-ing himself for that one.

"Ooo!" Hunk slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Ha, he got you Pidge." Matt raised his hand for Lance to hi-five as he passed him. Pidge pouted but no more snarky remarks left her mouth.

The two made it out to the hall but stopped when Allura's soft voice rang out behind them, calling their attention back.

"Keith, there are some clothes ready for you in the shower room. The head of the Blade, your father I believe, will be meeting with us in 3 vargas so you have ample time to get ready."

"Wait, he's coming here?!" Keith shared a glance with Lance. Allura nodded her head in answer.

"While you were healing they sent a transmission asking to meet and discuss an alliance. I agreed."

"Oh." Well at least he knew that he had gotten through to them. Even if he suddenly had much less time with Voltron than he originally thought. He tried to ignore the disappointment that washed over him.

There was an audible gulp that originated from Lance. "Is he leaving with them?" A stiff silence fell over the group once again. Allura frowned.

"I'm sure that he has duties back on-"

"Wait! I almost forgot!" Pidge broke in. She raced forwards and grabbed Keith's hand, dragging him out of the room behind her.

"Whoa!" Keith stumbled but ultimately found his footing. "Where are we going?!" He glanced over his shoulder and saw Lance, his brows furrowed and his mouth opened slightly, just as confused as Keith.

"When we were on the Galra ship before you saved me from that druid you said something and I have to see if my hypothesis is correct." Pidge said spitfire fast as she tugged him around a corner.

 _Well that explains nothing._

Keith looked back and saw that the others were following them, running to catch up.

"Pidge come on, slow down!" Hunk huffed from the back of the group. Surprisingly she did slow down, but only because she had gotten to the place she had been running to. Keith didn't recognize the door that they stood before and he raised an eyebrow at Pidge for an explanation. It wasn't Pidge who answered.

Allura stepped beside Keith. "The red lion's hanger? Pidge what is this?" Pidge hopped from one foot to the next in excitement.

"I think that he's the red lion's paladin!"

Almost in perfect unison everyone shouted, "What?!" Keith, being one of the loudest.

"No, really! He said that he felt a pull while we were close to it at the ship, that's got to mean something, right?" Pidge gave them a toothy grin as she typed in a passcode to open the door.

Keith bit at his lip. He _had_ said that hadn't he? But… to be a paladin of the Red Lion just because he felt a pull… That was crazy. It could have just been nerves or indigestion. Even now, as he felt the gentle tug on his consciousness he blamed it on complications from the healing pod.

"Pidge, I don't know…" Keith tried to warn her that she was wrong, that she was getting everyone's hopes up for nothing and they were going to be immensely disappointed if they kept this up.

"Just- come on, just try it." Pidge begged with big eyes glossy behind her glasses. Keith couldn't help but to fall for her puppy dog eyes.

With a sigh he caved and she led the way with a _whoop_ of victory.

The Red Lion was huge- no actually. It was even bigger than huge, it was ENORMOUS. Keith had to crane his neck up just to see the top of it and its dark red particle barrier. With a crawling sensation on the back of his neck he couldn't help but to feel as if it was watching him as much as he was watching it. The others stayed further back as Keith continued on until he was about a meter away from the giant shield around it.

What now?

"Um… hi?" Keith stuttered out awkwardly. Nothing happened. He turned back to the rest of the group and shrugged. They sent him a gesture that meant, "Get closer!"

He took a step forwards and waited for something to happen. Still nothing. Keith hung his head. He knew this was going to happen, and now everyone was expecting something impossible of him.

"Look," He whispered so none of the others could hear him. "I don't really know how paladins are chosen or why but I know that everyone else thinks that it's me that you want… and I don't know why. I'm rash and I fly into things head first without thinking and sometimes I'll get angry over the smallest things. The only team I ever worked with isn't here anymore and the thought of losing these guys too," He peeked over his shoulder, momentarily taking in all of the anxious and expecting faces of the family behind him. His family. "I can't even imagine losing them…"

"I want to protect them. I want to make sure that they are safe and that Zarkon never lays a finger on them. But I know that I can't do that from the Blade headquarters. I care about all of them so much and I'm afraid that if I can't stay here I'll lose them, and I'd never be able to forgive myself." Keith placed both hands on the particle barrier before he rested his forehead against it as well. He was suddenly quite tired. "So, whoever you choose _has to be_ strong enough to keep my family safe."

Half a second passed and nothing happened.

Then everything happened at once. The particle barrier broke down and a roar entered his mind as the Red lion lowered its massive jaw before an extremely shocked Keith. Cheering erupted from behind him and before he knew it he was wrapped up in multiple sets of arms.

"Keith! you're the red paladin!" Lance practically screamed in his ear. Faintly he could hear an, "I knew it!" From Pidge who was buried somewhere in the group hug.

"I-I-I am?" Keith felt the question leave his lips as he still couldn't quite believe it. He was the red paladin? No, that didn't sound right.

"Yes Keith, the Red lion has accepted you to pilot it!" Allura's voice was more excited and relieved than Keith had ever heard it. The group released him with laughs and cheers, Lance being the last to let go.

"This means that you can stay right?" His eyes were wide and worried. Finally, Keith understood.

He was the Red paladin. And now that he had a lion to pilot he would be able to protect Voltron- and in turn, the universe. But now he had the power to keep his family safe, fighting by their side.

Of course he was going to stay. He nodded his head and Lance pumped his fist in the air.

"Keith," Shiro's voice grabbed his attention. "Why don't you take the Red lion out for a test drive. Red's waiting for you, after all." Keith's head snapped back to the ginormous lion who was, indeed, waiting for him.

"Okay."

He walked into the lion.

…

After one of the most exhilarating (and shortest) flight of his life Keith returned the Red lion to his bay and went about cleaning himself up before his dad arrived. Allura had said nothing about Thace, but Keith assumed that he would probably be here as well.

After his shower he made his way to the kitchen where he found Hunk, Coran, and Pidge. Hunk was preparing the food while Coran was in charge of manning the oven- which seemed kind of like a fake job to keep him from _actually_ helping but Keith didn't say anything. Pidge was by Hunk's side, trying to get a bite of whatever he was making. Hunk just swatted her hand away.

Keith made his way over to the counter, leaning against it.

"Hey Keith." Hunk said when he noticed him.

"Hey."

"If you're here for food you'll have to wait because it's not done yet and we have to have enough for when the Blade gets here."

"No, I was just wandering. Didn't really have anywhere else to be after all."

"Okay cool. Maybe you could keep this _gremlin_ off of me." Hunk pushed Pidge away with his hip as he stirred something pink in a giant bowl.

"Aw, come on! Just a little?" Pidge whined, standing on her tip toes trying to reach.

"You had 'just a little' two scoops ago." Hunk remarked. Keith cracked a smile.

"Hey Hunk?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know where Lance is?"

Pidge stopped trying to get at Hunk's food and Hunk stopped trying to push her away. They both looked at him in surprise for a moment before they gave him matching evil smirks.

Keith suddenly felt his face flushing.

"Oh Lance?" Pidge smiled. "I don't know." She lilted, her eyes looking at the ceiling as she brought her hand to her chin in 'thought.' "He might be in 'crush town.'"

"Or admirer lane." Hunk chimed in.

 _What does that mean?!_

"Or-"

"He's in the dining hall with Allura, Shiro, and Matt. She is teaching the boys about etiquette." Coran said, cheerful as always.

"Aw Coran!" Pidge complained.

"Yes, yes, I know it was all in good fun but give the poor boy a break." Coran said before he turned back to the oven. "Also, are these supposed to catch on fire?"

"What!" Hunk rushed over to the oven and Pidge grabbed the bowl that he tossed on the counter and ran. "Pidge get back here!" He shouted. Keith quickly left the chaos of the kitchen and made his way to the dining hall.

The walk there was quiet, just him and his thoughts. For the first time in a while the quiet didn't bring on the broken feeling of missing Aubr and Chorrol. He had finally accepted it. He was… at peace with what happened on that mission.

Instead it gave him time to try and work out how he was going to ask one of the humans about courting traditions.

He had decided that, despite being closer to Pidge and Hunk, he would ask Shiro. He seemed to be the most responsible and reasonable and he knew that he wouldn't blab about it to the others. Plus, he was the oldest. Maybe he had experience with courting and would be able to better explain the inner workings of it.

Although, with the way that Lance spoke about it, it was almost like the humans didn't take courting nearly as serious as the Galra did. Once Galra were fully mated they never took another partner. Even in the rare case that a Kalan is found after already being mated most _can't_ leave their other mate. If they were to try they would most likely succumb to bond break and die. And a bond break death is not a way anyone should have to die.

There are two ways that bond breaks kill- Fade and Rage. In the fade, a mate would stop eating and drinking and fade away slowly, until their ribs are showing and their fur starts to fall out (Or if they have scales they dull and become soft) and their voice is scratchy from never talking again.

The rage is more violent and much faster. It usually starts with symptoms akin to a severe panic attack and can include vomiting, extreme shaking, and uncontrollable crying and screaming. This usually evolves into a rage where the mate would attack and kill anything in sight with no concern about pain or their own death. Some of the stronger Galra have taken their own life after the first stage to prevent hurting anyone else.

Keith shivers as he recalled how he had once heard the screams of a blade member after their mate was killed in a battle.

And then he remembers the way Ulaz's bond break had gone. Keith had been very young when it happened so it was the first time he had ever seen a bond break. He hadn't understood why his uncle had stopped eating and drinking and when Kolivan brought him to see Ulaz he stopped outside the door and crouched down to Keith's level.

 _"Keith, I need you to understand something. Ulaz is hurting. He's hurting a lot. He misses his wife so much and he might not be here tomorrow. He's going to be different when you see him and if there is anything that you want to say, you need to say it to him today. Got it?"_

 _Keith had nodded his head and grabbed Kolivan's hand, suddenly afraid of what was happening to Ulaz._

 _The door slid open and there he was, lying in bed looking with dead eyes at the opposite wall._

 _"Ulaz, it's me, Kolivan. Keith is here too. He insisted on seeing you."_

 _Ulaz gave no response. Keith craned his neck to look at Kolivan, worry dancing in his eyes. Kolivan sighed and let go of Keith's hand before giving him a small push on his back._

 _"Remember what I told you." He said lowly before going to sit in a chair further away to give him some privacy._

 _Keith watched him go before turning back to the shell of his uncle. He was afraid. He was afraid to even touch him because he seemed so shattered already. Keith glanced back at Kolivan one last time before taking a hesitant step forwards to the foot of his bed._

 _It was a two-person bed._

 _"Ulaz?" He said quietly. Ulaz didn't even blink just continued to stare at the wall. If he even recognized Keith, he didn't show any signs of it._

 _"Uncle Ulaz?" He tried again, louder. Still nothing. Keith could feel his own tears welling up as he slowly moved around to the side of the bed. "Please say something," Keith whispered. When Kolivan had said that he was sick he didn't expect this. This was worse than being sick._

 _He looked back at Kolivan who had his face in his hands and his elbows on his knees._

 _This frightened Keith more than anything he had ever seen before. Kolivan never let his stoic face crack. And here he was doubled over and vulnerable._

 _Keith felt the tears begin to fall._

 _He turned back to Ulaz. His face seemed hollow and his eyes were sunken. He looked like he hadn't eaten or even moved from here in a while._

 _Keith crawled up into the bed, forcing his short legs up and onto the cushiony mattress. He sat on his legs directly facing Ulaz._

 _"Why won't you say something?" He sobbed. He wiped at his tears. "Please!"_

 _Nothing._

 _Keith latched his arms around Ulaz's waist and cried into his stomach._

 _"What are we g-gonna do if you leave? Who's gonna play blocks with me? Who's gonna t-take me on rides out to see the stars? Who's gonna be my Uncle?!" Keith could feel his claws digging into Ulaz's skin but he didn't care. Let it hurt. It was only fair with how Ulaz was hurting him right now._

 _"Who's gonna take care of Jestice?" He whispered. All he could think was 'please snap out of it.' And that was when he felt a weak hand on his back. He held onto Ulaz tighter. He wasn't ready to go yet. Kolivan couldn't make him._

 _"I will… little one." Ulaz's hoarse voice grated in his ears but in that moment, Keith couldn't think of anything that sounded better. He pulled his face out of where it had been wetting Ulaz's clothes with his tears and met his gaze. It was still broken and dull, but there was a small light flickering in his yellow eyes. Keith's lip wobbled and he sobbed more._

 _Kolivan was by their sides a tick later. "Ulaz?" Ulaz didn't speak but he did turn his head and meet Kolivan's eyes._

 _"Thank the Above." Kolivan whispered the prayer with every ounce of gratefulness in his body and wrapped both of them up in a hug._

It was possible to survive a bond break, but even if one does, they are never the same. The way that a mate dies (Or if a mate leaves- but that's not survivable) does affect how severely the other half is affected. If it's peacefully in their sleep, the break is unlikely to take hold. But if it is in battle as it so often is these days, the rage bond break is more likely to be induced.

And then there is the Kalan bond break. Which is wholly un-survivable and said to drive mates insane. If Kalan have telepathic connections and one's consciousness is also a small part of the other's mind, then when one dies that consciousness goes with them. Because their mind is also the others, the surviving mate _literally_ loses their mind.

When Keith had been learning about mating and bond breaks that teacher didn't touch much on the Kalan side of things because of how uncommon it was to find one. But Kolivan had explained to Keith after Ulaz's bond break what it would be like for him if Thace ever died or vice versa.

Kolivan had taught him most everything he knew about Kalans after all.

By this point he had reached the dining hall and was standing before the door. He wanted to talk to Lance. It was like there was this pull in his chest and every time he thought about Lance it throbbed. Should he just go in in the middle of the lesson? Or should he just wait out here?

. . . . .

He was never very good at waiting anyways.

When the door slid open Allura's soft slightly irritated voice met his ears. "Lance, are you even paying attention?"

"Huh?" Was Lance's intelligent response. His head had been turned towards the door, watching as Keith walked in. But when Allura called his name he spun around fast enough to get whiplash and blinked owlishly at her.

Allura let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed a hand down her face. Shiro put a hand on her shoulder and chuckled softly. (Matt gave jealous eyes at the two of them. Which of them he was jealous of, Keith couldn't tell) When he looked up he caught sight of Keith.

"I think we found the distraction." He told Allura quietly and nodded his head towards Keith.

"Uh. Hi," Keith said awkwardly. "Can I talk to Lance for a tick?" He didn't want to limit his time, however, with the glare that Allura was giving him he was beginning to doubt he would get even that.

He was right. "No, he is in the middle of a lesson on etiquette. Perhaps you should join these two?" She threatened. As much as Keith wanted to talk to Lance he knew he wouldn't be able to do much under Allura's watchful gaze so he shook his head and took a hasty step back towards the hall.

"No Keith! Don't leave me with this monster!" Lance called after him dramatically. Keith felt the tug again and almost came back, but he caught a glimpse of Allura's face and decided that he didn't want to be in there any longer.

Suddenly though, he didn't have a choice.

"Actually Keith, come back here." Allura commanded.

 _Nooooo_

Keith hung his head and obeyed.

"Sit there, beside Lance." She said it innocently enough, but she wasn't fooling anyone. They knew she had a card up her sleeve. He sat tentatively on the edge of the seat, waiting for her next order. "Lance, any time that I find you aren't paying attention I'm going to tell Keith an embarrassing story about you."

Lance narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms before huffing out a breath of air and letting a smirk fall on his face. "I don't have any embarrassing stories. Especially none that you know."

Allura's polite princesses smile turned evil in the matter of a moment. "Keith," She addressed him directly, ignoring Lance as he lurched forward in his seat. "On planet Arus, where the Castle Ship sat for 10,000 periods, they threw us a party in honor of the lion queen. As the party commenced Lance mingled with the locals. They offered him food and drink and he accepted, but there was a bowl on a table with-"

"No! Allura don't!" Lance shouted, his eyes going wide as he realized what story she was telling. She talked over him.

"A bowl on the table and what Lance thought were cups. You said it looked like a "punch bowl," correct?" Her smile was wicked. Lance put his hands together and looked up at Allura with pleading eyes.

"Please don't finish the story, I'm begging you! I'll pay attention I swear!" Shiro and Matt both laughed at him as Allura stuck her nose up in the air, a real smile on her face now.

"Wait, I wanna know what happens." Keith was now on the edge of his seat for a different reason.

"Then I guess you'll have to try your best to distract Lance. Maybe then he will learn that there are reasons he needs to _pay attention_." She directed the last part at Lance. "A Blagort governor wouldn't take kindly to being ignored."

Keith could do that. He would get the end of this story.

"One rule for you Keith, you may not outright interrupt me. This is still a lesson after all." Keith nodded.

The lesson commenced. Keith gave Lance a small moment to regain his composure as Allura droned on about proper posture. Keith felt his eyes drifting closed every time that he tried to pay attention to her and finally decided that Lance could use a distraction.

He scooted his chair over until he was directly beside Lance. He nudged him.

Nothing. He turned and made eye contact with Allura, who had taken notice of the two of them. She raised an eyebrow at him as if to say, "You'll have to try hard than that, Keith."

Keith leaned in closer to speak quietly into Lance's ear. "Hey," he said. He garnered no response, yet again.

He slouched back in his chair and thought up a new game plan. Little things like that weren't going to do it.

Then it hit him. He remembered something that Chorrol used to do to Aubr when she wasn't paying enough attention to him.

He reached over, pointer finger extended, hovering a centimeter from Lance's shoulder. He leaned in close to whisper in his ear again and said, "I'm not touching you."

Lance didn't make any crazy outright movements but Keith could see him clench his jaw. He must know this game.

A victorious smile graced Keith's lips and he moved his finger down Lance's arm, still not touching him. His whispered the same phrase in his ear and moved his finger all around. He could see Lance's concentration slowly faltering.

After half a dobash of this he took the final step. "I'm not touching you." He whispered again, but this time he shoved his finger directly into Lance's bicep.

"Are you _kidding_ me!" He lost his composure and turned to face Keith, jabbing his own finger into Keith's chest.

"Ahem." Allura cleared her throat. "Lance drank from the 'punch bowl' and the Arusians all stopped the party and went quiet."

"No! I didn't mean it! Don't listen to her, cover your ears." Lance shot up from his seat and pushed his way in front of Keith as if it would prevent him from being able to hear Allura.

"The Arusian king then informed us that when an Arusian dies they turn into a liquid, which was collected in Lance's 'cup' and then poured together into a 'punch bowl' with other Arusians who had died throughout the period. They then have a ceremony where they 'return the bodies to the planet.'"

Lance had collapsed back in his chair and was trying to hide his face with his hands.

"So, in short, Lance drank a dead alien and got kicked out of the party," Allura finished. Matt was trying to hide his laugh and failing miserably while Shiro held an amused smile on his face.

Keith snorted and smiled, nudging Lance with his elbow. "What did it taste like?" He asked, his question verging on cruel.

"Not you too! I don't even remember I was so mortified." Lance mumbled into his hands. Keith smiled at him sympathetically.

"Now, back to the lesson. Lance," He pulled his face from his hands, his cheeks a darker color than the rest of his skin, and looked at Allura. "You did better than I thought you would." He pouted his lip out, obviously not phased by the small praise at the moment, still very embarrassed.

"And Keith," He met her gaze. "Good job."

For the rest of the lesson Keith sat silently and chose not to bother Lance anymore. He seemed like he was actually trying to pay attention and despite Keith wanting to hear more embarrassing stories, he didn't know if Lance could take any additional embarrassment.

After a varga the lesson was over and the Blade was due to arrive at any moment. Everyone gathered in the docking bay to wait for them.

When they arrived Kolivan led a small group of four Marmorites out of the ship, Thace at his heels just like Keith had assumed he would be.

Keith had to force himself not to run to his dads and hug them. It was hard, he had missed them and he had wanted their comfort ever since becoming captured by Zarkon's army. However, he knew that Kolivan was in diplomat mode right now and wouldn't appreciate any such gestures while there was still business to be attended to.

So, he waited for them to make their way over to his group and stood in place once they reached him.

"Princess Allura." Kolivan bowed his head, the other Marmorites following suit.

"Commander Kolivan." She bowed her head as well. Kolivan's eyes flickered over to Keith before returning to Allura.

"Before we begin negotiations may I have a moment with my son?" Kolivan asked. Keith's eyes widened, his ears snapping to attention. He must have misheard him because Kolivan wouldn't risk showing a vulnerability right before an alliance meeting or otherwise. Maybe after the meeting he would have come to Keith and talked but not now…

"Of course, take your time." She said. Kolivan and Thace walked Keith away from the others who began to approach the remaining Marmorites.

Once Kolivan had deemed them far enough away he put both hands on Keith's shoulders and took a long look at him. Thace broke the moment taking Keith into his arms, Kolivan folding them both in his embrace.

"You're giving us too many heart attacks, you're gonna kill us at this rate Keith," Kolivan said somberly.

"Sorry." With a sigh they both released him.

"So," started Thace with a smirk, "Which one is it?" He gestured back towards the main group with his eyes as he raised an eyebrow. Keith glanced over and caught Lance's gaze. His blue eyes quickly turned away after being caught.

"The scrawny one then?" Kolivan chimed in. Keith narrowed his eyes.

"He is not _scrawny._ " Keith protested. They both laughed at him.

"Already so protective," Thace commented.

"And he seems very interested in you," Kolivan added. Keith shook his head slightly.

"Humans don't have Kalans or anything close to it. They can take more than one partner and even if they do become mates they can break it off and find someone else and-"

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down. If humans take mates _at all_ then you'll be fine." Thace comforted him with a hand on his shoulder. Keith gave him a disbelieving look but said nothing more before turning to look back at Lance, who's eyes had already made their way back to Keith. "You two act like you've already started courting."

"Dad!" Keith snapped his head back, his face flushing. Thace put a gentle hand on his face, touching the pale skin.

"It is strange. Seeing you like this," he said lowly. Kolivan put a hand on Thace's shoulder.

"We must begin negotiations soon."

"Yes… yes you are right. Let's go." Thace pulled his hand back from Keith's face and smiled at Kolivan. "There is room for you in the ship after negotiations." Thace commented over his shoulder at Keith as he walked away.

"Actually-"

"Keith, we've discussed this, you are needed at the Blade. You can not do anything here." Kolivan stopped him.

"No, really. I am." Keith pushed. Kolivan gave him a hard look and Thace sighed.

"You are needed here doing what exactly?"

"Piloting the red lion." Keith answered, feeling the excitement over take his voice as he remembered the brief flight he had taken earlier.

Thace narrowed his eyes. "You told us they didn't have a pilot for the red lion."

"I hadn't been back to the Castle to see the lion yet. He chose me." The two of them shared a look.

"So, Voltron can be formed?" Keith nodded his head. They shared a second look. This time Keith was sure they were also sharing silent words. They each gave Keith a disbelieving stare before walking back towards the group again.

"I suppose that _is_ a valid reason to stay," Kolivan mused.

Keith bit his lip to stop the smile that threatened to split his face. When they rejoined the group Allura led the way towards the command room for negotiations. Keith stayed close to his dads and the other Marmorites, but Lance wormed his way between the others and grabbed at his sleeve, indicating that he wanted him to fall back.

"What did they say? Are they letting you stay here on the castle?" His eyes were wide and innocent. Hopeful and worried.

Keith nodded and Lance let out a _whoop_. His smile was contagious and soon Keith was also grinning ear to ear. In his peripheral Keith saw some of the others eyeing them but he didn't pay them any mind.

"Yes!" Lance threw his arm over Keith's shoulders and left it there as they walked. It was considered a friendly gesture and Keith let himself bask in the physical contact with his Kalan. It felt like his arm was made to fit around his shoulders.

Pidge turned back and fake gaged at the two of them and Keith saw Lance stick his tongue out at her. Hunk nudged her and she turned back.

The negotiations between Voltron and the Blade of Marmora went smoothly and soon there was a brand-new alliance between the two of them.

For Keith, it felt more like they were bridging the gap between his two families. The one that he had been raised by and has always loved, and the one that he stumbled across accidentally and fell in love with in the blink of an eye.

It had all started with a mission gone wrong, changing his life forever. And for the first time in a while fate decided that his life would be changed for the better.

He stared at Lance, who was laughing loudly at one of Hunk's jokes while they ate the food Hunk had prepared in honor of the Blades earlier.

Keith couldn't help but to think that the future looked as bright as his blue eyes.

* * *

 **Hey all!** **I am back with the final chapter of this installment, but worry not. There will be another story for this series which I will have up within the month (lol that's a while sorry)**

 **I think that I'll call it "What is Love Anyways" and will be heavily focused on how Lance and Keith handle their feelings. I don't think it will be as long as this one but it shouldn't be super short either.**

 **ANyways, leave me a comment if you liked this (Or if you didn't tell me what you thought wasn't very good)**

 **I am so thankful for every one of you lovely people who came with me on this journey, even if you are just now reading this.**

 **So, this is to all of you readers-**

 **Thank you. From the bottom of my heart thank you so much for being here, and goodnight!**


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